Virat Kohli’s bizarre Instagram controversy took another dramatic turn after German influencer and singer LizLaz alleged that some journalists allegedly offered her money to speak publicly against the RCB star and make false allegations about him. The influencer, who unexpectedly found herself at the center of a social media storm after Kohli’s account appeared to have ‘liked’ one of her posts, said she refused to damage the cricketer’s reputation for publicity or money.
The latest development has once again thrust Kohli’s off-field social media activity into the limelight at a time when the RCB batter is already dealing with conversations about his rare dip in form during IPL 2026. In an interview with Filmymantra Media, clips of which quickly went viral online, LizLaz claimed she was approached by journalists who wanted her to make false statements about Kohli.
“Some journalists even offered me money to say bad things about him (Virat Kohli) and make allegations about things he never did. But why would I do that?” she said.
LizLaz also made it clear that she had no intention of targeting Kohli and in fact considers him one of her favorite cricketers.
“I would never do it for the publicity or the money,” she added, speaking about the controversy.
The influencer also recalled how she only realized the incident had erupted after her phone started flooding with calls and messages.
“I found out because people started calling me. I didn’t even see it in the notifications,” she said.
Interestingly, LizLaz had also responded sympathetically to Kohli earlier over the trolling he received online after the incident exploded on social media.
WHAT IS THE VIRAT KOHLI-LIZ LAZ CONTROVERSY?
The whole controversy started after that Kohli’s Instagram account appears to have ‘liked’ an older post featuring German-South African influencer LizLaz alongside photographer Advaita Vaidya.
The interaction quickly went viral as Kohli does not follow the influencer, leading to widespread memes, speculations and online chatter.
Within minutes, social media was flooded with screenshots of the interaction, with fans jokingly reviving Kohli’s now-famous “algorithm” explanation from a similar controversy in 2025 involving actress and influencer Avneet Kaur.
At the time, Kohli clarified that the interaction was accidental and linked it to Instagram’s algorithm while cleaning up its feed.
Again, online reactions have largely turned into memes rather than serious controversy, with phrases like “the algorithm registered another interaction” quickly becoming social media jokes again.
LizLaz later revealed that she initially felt happy when Kohli interacted with the post, but also felt bad when she saw him being heavily trolled online afterwards.
During the controversy, an older clip of the influencer supporting Royal Challengers Bengaluru also resurfaced where she identified herself as an RCB fan and called Kohli one of the most interesting players to watch.
HOW WAS VIRAT KOHLI IN IPL 2026?
For most of IPL 2026, Kohli looked set for another classic season with the bat.
The RCB opener scored 379 runs in his first 11 matches and put together nine straight double-figure scores, acting as the stability behind Bengaluru’s rise towards the top of the table.
But the last two games suddenly shifted the conversation.
Kohli heads into RCB’s crucial clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on the back of back-to-back ducks, managing just three balls across both dismissals.
However, despite this small slump, RCB have gone on to win, which perhaps says a lot about how balanced the side has looked this season compared to previous campaigns where Kohli’s form has often directly shaped Bengaluru’s fortunes.
Still, with the playoffs looming and pressure games coming one after the other, Kohli’s form remains one of the biggest talking points around RCB heading into the final phase of IPL 2026.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
12 May 2026 21:22 IST
