Taking a dig at RCB's star-studded line up which had AB de Villiers, Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali and Shimron Hetmeyer besides Kohli, Mallya tweeted: “Always a great line up but sadly on paper only.”
RCB gave a poor account of themselves in the first half of the tournament, not being able to win a single game. But Kohli and Co bounced back to win five games on the trot at the back end of the competition, something that, in the end, proved to be a bridge too far in terms of making the playoffs.
“Thank you guys for all the love & support - the entire team including the fans, the ground staff & the support staff! Promise to come back stronger next year,” Kohli wrote on his social media platforms.
It was the 12th straight season that the RCB failed to bag the IPL trophy.