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THE four-month battle to become the 2015 Betway Premier League champion will conclude on Thursday as Michael van Gerwen, Dave Chisnall, Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld contest the Play-Offs.

Following a 15-night league season which began with ten players in Leeds in February, the top four stars progress to The O2 in London to compete in the semi-finals and final.

The Play-Offs will feature world number one Michael van Gerwen, three-time major finalist Dave Chisnall, World Champion Gary Anderson and reigning Betway Premier League champion Raymond van Barneveld.

Chisnall has been the season's shooting star in only his second Premier League campaign, having landed more 180s (62) and ton-plus checkouts (17) than any of his rivals.

The 2014 Grand Slam of Darts finalist was a 40/1 outsider to lift the title at the start of the season - and was the favourite alongside Kim Huybrechts to be eliminated following nine weeks - but is now just 11/2 with Betway to claim his maiden major title.

The St Helens ace ended the league phase only a point behind van Gerwen in the table, and admitted: "I'm very proud.

"I've done myself justice because people wrote me off at the beginning of the season but I've proved them wrong all year. I've got nothing to lose and there's no pressure on me, so I can look forward to it.

"I know what I can do, which is play like I have done for the last 14 or 15 weeks - when it goes it's good and it's all good at the moment."

Chisnall had won 7-2 and 7-3 against Anderson in their two league meetings, but added: "I played well in the two games against Gary but I can't think about those games because Gary's the World Champion.

"I've got to take my game up there and do what I do. I know I can beat anybody so it's just about producing the goods at the right time, and hopefully on Thursday I'll do that because it would mean a huge amount to win this tournament."

World Champion Anderson is also bidding to lift the Premier League title for the second time, having previously overcome Adrian Lewis in the 2011 Play-Offs.

"Getting to the last four is a big thing in itself but it's been four years since I won it so it would be nice to do it again," said the Scot. "I'm looking forward to it and I'll get my head on and see what happens."

However, Anderson lost twice to superb displays from Chisnall in the regular season, and admits that he has to forget those defeats on Thursday, adding: "It's got to go out of the window.

"If I sit and think about it then I'm in trouble and it's a different week. If I was scared of playing another player I wouldn't play, so I'll just go up there and play my game, and if I play well enough I'll win.

"I'll be going for it this week and we'll see how it goes on the night. If I turn up and my head's right and my game's okay then I'll be alright."

Van Gerwen and van Barneveld will lock horns in a repeat of last year's final as they resume their rivalry at The O2, having shared one win apiece during the league phase of the season.

Van Gerwen had been unbeaten in his first ten games before he lost out to van Barneveld in Aberdeen, and a further two losses followed in his next four games.

However, the 2013 Premier League champion bounced back to top the final league table for a third successive season with his high-quality draw against Chisnall last week, and said: "It feels great to finish top again.

"It was really hard but I finally made it when I got the point that I needed and I'm very proud of that.

"The standard at the moment is incredible. An average of 105 is not really good any more - now it's 108, 109, 110 or 111 - and that's what makes this Premier League so good."

Van Gerwen is the 5/6 favourite with sponsors Betway heading into the Play-Offs, and he said: "I'm feeling really good and I'm in good form.

"Raymond's a fantastic player and he's done really well in the last couple of weeks but I want to show everyone what I can do.

"I believe in my own ability and I know that if I play my best then they won't beat me, and with that attitude I think I can go further in this tournament.

"It would mean a lot to me to win the title again but that's too far away. I first need to win the semi-final against Raymond and then I'll see what happens afterwards."

Van Barneveld had defied the odds to win last year's Play-Offs, having lost six times in the semi-finals in the previous eight seasons - and the five-time World Champion goes into this year's semi-finals as the form player.

After a slow start to the campaign left him in danger of elimination on Judgement Night, van Barneveld secured survival with a draw against Anderson which sparked an eight-game unbeaten run that has seen him finish fourth in the league table.

"I had a draw against Gary in Week Nine and wasn't eliminated and I'm really pleased that in the seven games since Judgement Night I've had six wins and a draw," he said.

"I've practised a lot on finishes. I'm just doing my thing but I like the game, I like to battle and with the darts that Unicorn provide me I'm playing well.

"I believe in myself again - I'm not watching any other players because I know how brilliant they are, but I'm a good player as well and if you believe in yourself - like last year - anything can happen."

Van Barneveld, the 6/1 outsider with Betway, is bidding to become only the second player - behind Phil Taylor - to retain the Premier League title, and admitted that victory would be one of the finest achievements of his career.

"If you win the World Championship it's two or three weeks, but the Premier League is 16 weeks among the best players in the world and if you win that it means a lot," said the 48-year-old. "It means that you're the most consistent player in the field.

"If you retain that title then you're an unbelievable, amazing player and you've shown the rest of the world that you can beat any other player in the field and that's what I want to prove."

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The Betway Premier League Play-Offs will commence at 7pm on Thursday with the semi-finals, as Chisnall takes on Anderson before van Gerwen faces van Barneveld, before the coveted trophy and a £200,000 first prize is awarded following the final later in the evening.