Instagram went silent and Indian cricket fans knew something was wrong. Virat Kohli might not be on the cusp right now, but his absence on Instagram has left fans on edge.
Virat Kohli’s verified Instagram account, followed by over 270 million users, suddenly disappeared from the platform on January 30, leaving followers confused and buzzing online.
Kohli’s Instagram account, long a hub for cricket updates, personal moments and co-branded promotions, stopped appearing in searches early Friday morning, and users were instead greeted with the familiar message: “Profile unavailable.”
Kohli, his team and Instagram have not received any official explanation as to whether the disappearance is intentional, temporary or the result of a technical glitch.
Adding to the mystery is brother Virat Kohli, Vikas Kohli’s Instagram account has also not appeared in searches since Friday morning. Users trying to access his profile were met with the same “profile not available” message.
IS ANUSHKA SHARMA ACCOUNT ACTIVE?
Reactions on social media ranged from concern to comical disbelief. Some fans took to Instagram and X to ask Kohli’s wife Anushka Sharma, “Bhaabhi, bhaiya ka account kahan gaya?”, roughly translating to “Where has brother’s account gone?”, flooding her comments section with pleas for clarity. Screengrab from Anushka Sharma’s Instagram post
As speculation swirled, memes quickly took over social media, with users linking Kohli’s Instagram disappearance to the recent “missing penguin” viral trend that briefly took the internet by storm. The posts joked that 2026 seemed to be the year of unexplained disappearances, pairing screenshots of Kohli’s unavailable profile with pictures of a penguin, suggesting that the two had “gone off the internet without explanation”.
The online chatter was further fueled by Rohit Sharma, who fueled speculation a day earlier by posting a cryptic Instagram story suggesting a “big announcement” was coming soon. The India captain shared a brief message suggesting that something “big” was on the way, without elaborating, prompting fans to wonder if he was teasing a team update, a personal milestone or a promotional post for a brand collaboration.
WHAT ABOUT KOHLI’S X ACCOUNT?
Meanwhile, Kohli remains active on other platforms. His X account is still accessible and there is no indication that the Instagram episode has had any impact on his professional commitments. The 37-year-old recently returned to London after a strong showing in the ODI series against New Zealand and is expected to return in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season where Royal Challengers Bengaluru will bid to defend their title.
On the field, Kohli has been in sensational form in ODIs since returning to competitive cricket in October last year after a rare four-month break. During the period, including three centuries, he scored 616 runs in nine matches. Kohli briefly rose to the top of the ICC ODI batting rankings before being overtaken by New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell earlier this month.
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
January 30, 2026
