In pics: Reliving Virat Kohli-starrer Royal Challengers Bangalore's IPL 2023 campaign

RCB finished at the sixth spot with seven wins and equal number of defeats, at a Net Run Rate of +0.135. They had to win their last league game, versus defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT), but came second in defence of 198 in Bengaluru. Had they won, they would have ended with 16 points -- along with Mumbai Indians (MI). They would have pipped the MI franchise and entered the playoffs on superior NRR but they fell flat.
 

RCB's top performers with the bat were their top three, i.e. skipper Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell. Faf ended the league stage with the Orange Cap, with 730 runs whereas Kohli returned with 639 runs. Meanwhile, Maxwell also had a good run with 400 runs in 14 games. Faf ended with eight fifties, Kohli returned with six half-centuries and two hundreds whereas the Aussie all-rounder smacked five fifties overall. 

RCB's top bowler was Mohammed Siraj who ended with 19 scalps in 14 games at an economy rate of 7.52. Harshal Patel ended at the second spot with 14 wickets. However, the death over specialist was expensive, ending with an economy rate of 9.65.

Mahipal Lomror had a decent run for RCB, ending as their most promising youngster. He ended with 135 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 139.17 along with one half-century. He certainly showed the team management that he can be one for the future if they invest on him thoroughly.

"It is difficult as we had high hopes for the last game. We knew that we were playing a strong team tonight. After the momentum of the last two games, we were really looking forward to running into the playoffs with some good form behind us. Coming into a game against a top side like GT, you have to be on top of your own game," Du Plessis said in a video shared on RCB's official Twitter handle.

Another season, another disappointment...RCB once again faltered in crunch games, relied only on their famed top three batters, wobbled with the ball in the death overs and paid the price with another early exit in an IPL season. With a healthy NRR, they just had to win their last game in the league stage but they fell fllat. They were not at their best in home games either and while they earned some convincing win in the business end of the league stage, it wasn't meant to be for them...once again.

In 16 years of IPL's existence, they remain only one of the three teams -- who are part of the cash-rich league since 2008 -- to remain without a trophy.