Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s Instagram account returned on Friday morning after it mysteriously disappeared overnight on January 30, sparking widespread curiosity and concern among fans.
Kohli, one of the most-followed athletes in the world with 274 million followers on Instagram, vanished from the platform without any explanation. The sudden disappearance quickly set off speculation across social media, with fans questioning whether the account had been deactivated intentionally or removed due to a technical issue.
The incident did not stop with Kohli. His brother Vikas Kohli also saw his Instagram profile deactivated around the same time. While Virat Kohli’s account became visible again at around 8:00 am, Vikas Kohli’s account remained inactive.
Neither Kohli nor his management team issued a statement on the matter. Instagram also offered no clarification, leaving the cause of the disappearance unclear.
As discussions intensified, social media users turned the situation into a meme fest. Many linked Kohli’s vanishing act to the viral “missing penguin” trend that recently dominated timelines. Users shared screenshots of Kohli’s unavailable profile alongside images of the penguin.
Although Kohli’s Instagram account is now fully accessible, the lack of an official explanation has kept fans puzzled.