IPL 2018: Virat Kohli says RCB 'deeply hurt' over failure to fulfill fans' expectations

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli revealed on Thursday, May 24 he and his teammates were deeply hurt by their own performances in the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 29-year-old rued not fulfilling the expectations of their loyal fans but promised that the Bangalore-based franchise would "turn things around" next season.

Kohli's video message comes a few days after RCB were knocked out of the cash-rich league. The former finalists failed to reach the playoff stages of the tournament, finishing sixth with eight defeats from 14 matches.

RCB had started the season amid a lot of positivity, especially after they added bowling firepower, which was missing over the years, to the squad. Their auction strategy seemed a winner as their final 24-member unit looked balanced on paper.

However, the star-studded team failed consistently in the first half of the season, losing seven of their first 10 matches even as captain Kohli was searching for answers.

RCB gave themselves an outside chance to qualify for the playoffs after winning three matches on the bounce towards the end of the round-robin league stage but they squandered the opportunity by losing to Rajasthan Royals in a must-win match on May 19.

Kohli promises better performance in next year's IPL

"Just wanted to put this video for all RCB fans and people involved with RCB in any way telling them we could not pull our weight this season. We are not very proud of how the season went for us. We deeply hurt by how we played. We are deeply sorry for not living up to the expectations of fans," Kohli said.

The RCB captain added: "Having said that, we understand that this is part of life and that we cannot get what we always want. Up to players to understand what we need to do next season and all of us, as I said, were really hurt about what happened this year.

"We really want to turn things around next year. We definitely will do everything in our abilities to give you guys what you want.

"We keep hard towards our game and keep improving as a side. We are grateful for your support and hope you keep supporting us as you always have.

"Next year, I can promise you one thing that we will put in more effort than we have ever done for RCB. We won't disappoint you guys. Thank you so much for all the support this year. Looking forward to seeing you guys next year."

RCB's woeful performances in the first half of the season can be attributed to some poor selection calls. The Bangalore-based benched the likes of Moeen Ali and Tim Southee in the first few games even as the skipper was constantly tinkering with the playing XI.

Also, RCB were reduced to a two-man batting team as their over-reliance on Kohli and AB de Villiers was exposed by oppositions even as their bowlers stepped up and delivered, more often than not.

WATCH: Virat Kohli apologises to RCB fans