Virat Kohli set to announce retirement? Speculation sparks as ‘King’ returns to Instagram after blackout
Published - 30 Jan 2026, 09:45 AM | Updated - 30 Jan 2026, 11:35 PM
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Virat Kohli is back on Instagram, resuming his official account on the popular social media space after a brief blackout. On Friday, fans on Instagram found that the official Instagram account of Virat Kohli had suddenly disappeared, which caused widespread panic among his fans.
Netizens were trying their best to find out why the official Instagram account of Virat Kohli disappeared suddenly, without any prior notice or explanation. Till now, even after reactivation of the account, there has been no clear response from any side about the blackout.
Was it a deliberate attempt by Virat Kohli?
Did Kohli deliberately deactivate his account, or was it a technical glitch, or was it a fault from Meta's side? The answer remains unknown. As of now, all fans and his followers can do is speculate about the matter without having any clue what actually happened.
Though Kohli's 'X' account remained active throughout, he did not address the Instagram episode there either. Virat Kohli's verified Instagram account, which has 274M followers, is the most popular profile among Indian net users and one of the most popular public figures across the globe.
With the record number of followers, the cricketer's Instagram account is considered a major hub for brand collaborations, personal updates, and fan engagement. His fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as one of the most influential sports stars is again back on his Instagram profile.
Fans commented on Anushka Sharma's profile as well
But why did the account disappear suddenly? In search of the answer, a countless number of netizens flooded Anushka Sharma's comment section with various types of queries, but all related to Kohli's Instagram handle. For the last few months, Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli's wife, has been keeping herself away from social media platforms to maintain their private life privacy.
So, those comments on Sharma's comment sections were left unanswered. Some fans ask Anushka questions such as "Bhaabhi, bhaiya ka account kahan gaya? " A few started to speculate that it could be a sign from the 'king' about taking retirement from all forms of cricket.
Kohli is currently active only as an ODI player for Team India and will play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), as he already retired from Tests and T20Is.
Vikas Kohli's account also deactivated
Not only Virat Kohli's account, but it is reported that his brother Vikas Kohli’s Instagram profile was also found to be deactivated around the same time. While Virat’s account reappeared at approximately 8:30 am, Vikas Kohli’s account remained inactive at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, the batting maestro was in tremendous form for team India in the recent past, scoring multiple centuries and half-centuries. He scored tons of runs against New Zealand as well. It is expected to see him again after about four months, when Team India will be up for their next ODI fixtures.
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