Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has apologised to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for his underwhelming performance in the IPL 2016 final, where they suffered a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

In that high-voltage IPL final, the David Warner-led SRH side had defeated Virat Kohli’s RCB by 7 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Since then, RCB are yet to qualify for the IPL final while their trophy cabinet still remains empty.

Watson had a below-par outing with the ball in the IPL 2016 final, conceding 61 runs in his four overs. As a result, SRH racked up a mammoth 208/7 on the board.

In reply, RCB managed 200/7 in their allotted 20 overs despite half-centuries from openers Chris Gayle (76) and Virat Kohli (54).

Waston, who scored 11 off 9 balls with the bat, expressed disappointment over his performance in the summit clash of IPL 2016 where RCB had a great chance to clinch the coveted title.

"To all the RCB fans here tonight, I need to profusely apologise. The reason why I need to profusely apologise to RCB fans is because 2016 IPL final at the Chinnaswamy Stadium," Watson said while speaking at an event.

"I was prepared as well as I could. I was hoping to perform my very very best, but I had one of the worst performances when it comes to the bowling perspective in the final. And I most probably cost RCB winning that TATA IPL," he added.

Meanwhile, RCB have qualified for the playoffs in the ongoing IPL 2024 and will get another shot at the title this season.

Despite facing adversity, RCB defied the odds and secured their place in the playoffs. They achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs after winning only one of their initial eight matches in the season.

The Bengaluru-based franchise will face Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Wednesday (May 22).

(Hindustan Times Inputs)