Overview:
Virat Kohli has noticeably reduced personal content across his social media accounts in recent years.
Virat Kohli’s official Instagram handle reappeared early Friday after vanishing without explanation late on January 30, briefly sending shockwaves through the cricketing ecosystem. The unexplained blackout of one of the game’s biggest digital presences sparked intense chatter across fan circles overnight.
Interestingly, the disruption extended beyond Virat Kohli. His brother, Vikas Kohli, also saw his Instagram handle taken offline around the same window. While Virat’s profile was restored by around 8:30 am, Vikas’ account was still unavailable at the time of publication.
As of now, neither Virat Kohli nor his representatives have issued a statement, with Instagram also staying silent on whether the episode resulted from a system error or a conscious decision.
Fans carried the conversation beyond Kohli’s account, appearing on Anushka Sharma’s Instagram page with playful reactions. “Bhaabhi, bhaiya ka account kahan gaya?”, (Where has brother’s account gone?)
As the chatter intensified, humour quickly entered the conversation. Fans began drawing parallels between Virat Kohli’s missing Instagram account and the viral “missing penguin” meme that had recently swept social media. Screenshots of Kohli’s inactive profile were paired with penguin visuals, jokingly framing 2026 as a year marked by unexplained digital disappearances.
The profile may be live again, but the mystery surrounding its disappearance continues, leaving followers amused and uncertain as they await official word.
Virat Kohli’s Instagram activity sparks online debate
Virat Kohli has noticeably reduced personal content across his social media accounts in recent years. Despite maintaining a strong online presence, the senior India batter became part of an online debate last season following an unintentional interaction with a post shared by influencer Avneet Kaur.
The moment quickly escalated after screenshots began circulating on Instagram, leading Kohli to issue a formal response to address the situation. Online attention soon extended to Anushka Sharma’s profile as well, where users flooded the comment sections with tags and remarks seeking clarification.
“I’d like to clarify that while clearing my feed, it appears the algorithm may have mistakenly registered an interaction. There was absolutely no intent behind it. I request that no unnecessary assumptions be made. Thank you for your understanding,” Kohli posted.