Mark Selby is a hot favourite to win the PartyPoker.com Premier League on his debut.

The 'Jester from Leicester' plays seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry in Saturday's semi-finals having remained unbeaten to top the league standings.

A 3-3 draw against Joe Perry in the final round-robin match in Kidderminster meant Selby went through the six-match campaign without losing a game.

After being given a wildcard into the lucrative event, he enjoyed wins over Ding Junhui (4-2), Hendry (5-1), Steve Davis (6-0) and John Higgins (4-2), and drew 3-3 against world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.

That ensured he finished top of the table with 10 points, earning £29,000 along the way, and marked him out as the form man of the tournament.

Crucible semi-finalist Perry finished second, ahead of world No.1 O'Sullivan, with Hendry squeezing in at fourth to complete the line-up in this weekend's knock-out stages at Potters Leisure Resort in Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk.

Selby's 5-1 win over Hendry in the league match will stand him in good stead, and the world No.4 will be confident of again turning on the style in front of the live Sky TV cameras.

"I'm really looking forward to the play-off," said Masters and Welsh Open champion Selby. "It will be a tough match against Stephen but I'm going to enjoy it.

"At the start of the tournament I was just looking to enjoy it and hopefully get a top-four spot. I'm chuffed to bits with the way I've played."

Six-time Premier League champion Hendry qualified for the semis by the skin of his teeth. He needed a draw or better in a make-or-break clash against Ding in Kidderminster and duly came up with the goods, clinching a 3-3 result by taking the final frame.

"I'm delighted to qualify," said Hendry on premierleaguesnooker.com. "After I lost my first two matches I thought I had to win every single match, but it turned out that I got away with a couple of draws.

"But it's a great performance to qualify after the start I had."

Perry will face five-time champion O'Sullivan in the other semi-final on Saturday, with the final scheduled for the following day.

Once again, a 25-second shot clock will be introduced to guarantee fast play.

The players have already collected £1,000 for every frame won and every century made in the league stage, while Sunday's champion will also pocket a £50,000 bonus.