King of the 'stop the clock' play Ronnie O'Sullivan will be bidding to win back the title he lost last year to Shaun Murphy.
The Rocket went down 7-3 to the 2005 world champion in the final last time out, and this came after Ronnie had won each of the previous Premier League events.
While he'll again be installed as the heavy favourite, O'Sullivan is certainly not unbeatable, even in this format of the game.
It's true the quicker style of play definitely suits him more than any other player, but without a ranking title to his name in nearly 12 months, the vultures are looming as to whether Ronnie has the fight to win more trophies.
He certainly has the ability, that's not in question, but last year's competitions saw a lot of players cross a barrier where they now believe they can beat O'Sullivan.
The fear factor has gone, and that's what will really make O'Sullivan's form a particular point of interest this season.
Can Ronnie bounce back to win more titles this year? Or will he continue to just turn up, play fairly well, then falter when he faces a really stern test?
Either is possible.
The only saving grace for Ronnie in his quest to make sure it's the latter is that he won't feel the pressure of this challenge that lies ahead. He'll continue to go out, knock some balls around, and give it his best shot. That's why it's still conceivable for him to start firing on all cylinders again. Because if his best efforts translate to the kind of form we know he's capable of, he'll soon be back as the most feared player on the circuit.
My worry for O'Sullivan though is that he won't make this happen. He'll play snooker, and success may come back because of it. But I question his mentality to want it enough, and force the issue. That's what makes his tale this season, so intriuging.
Can he turn around his fortunes? The reason I talk about this now, is because an event he notoriosuly performs well in, starts again this week. And maybe, just maybe, this could be the beginning of his turn around.
O'Sullivan's first Premier League test comes on Thursday when he takes on Marco Fu. OnCue will keep you up to date with all the action as the competition tours the British Isles.
But here's the run down of who faces who, and when...
Week 1 - September 2 - Southampton Guidhall
Shaun Murphy v Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Marco Fu
Week 2 - September 16 - Plymouth Pavilions
Mark Selby v Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Ding Junhui
Week 3 - September 30 - Preston Guild Hall
Marco Fu v Shaun Murphy, Ding Junhui v Mark Williams, Neil Robertson v Mark Selby
Week 4 - October 7 - Brentwood Leisure Centre, Essex
Mark Selby v Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Shaun Murphy
Week 5 - October 14 - Inverness Leisure Centre
Mark Selby v Marco Fu, Neil Robertson v Mark Williams
Week 6 - October 21 - Spiceball Leisure Centre, Banbury, Oxfordshire
Neil Robertson v Ding Junhui, Marco Fu v Mark Williams
Week 7 - October 28 - Penrith Leisure Centre
Marco Fu v Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Mark Williams
Week 8 - November 4 - Hutton Moor Leisure Centre
Marco Fu v Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy v Mark Selby
Week 9 - Nov 11 - Grimsby Auditorium
Shaun Murphy v Mark Williams, Ronnie O'Sullivan v Neil Robertson
Week 10 - November 18 - Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Wales
Ronnie O'Sullivan v Mark Selby, Shaun Murphy v Neil Robertson
Semi-finals Nov 27 Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton on Sea, Norfolk
Semi-finals are the first to five.
1st v 4th
and 2nd v 3rd
www.pottersholidays.com
Final - Nov 28 - Potters Leisure Resort, Hopton on Sea, Norfolk
The final is the first to seven.
Winner of semi-final 1 v winner of semi-final 2.
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