Deactivated, Then Reactivated! The Curious Case Of Virat Kohli's Instagram Account

Virat Kohli Instagram: It is no secret that Virat Kohli is easily the most popular cricketer in the world - be it on-the-field or on social space - he rules and is hence lovingly referred to as the ‘King’. 

Kohli, who is not very active on Instagram lately after his retirement from Tests and T20Is, found something bizarre happening to his Instagram account. 

ALSO READ: Suryakumar Yadav Advised Not To Change His Batting Position In T20 WC

Deactivated, Then Reactivated!

Kohli, who boasts of over 274 million followers, had his fans puzzled. The incident came to light on Friday morning when fans found his Instagram account not there. It had vanished, surprisingly! 

Users trying to access Kohli's handle @virat.kohli were met with the standard error messages: "This page isn't available" or "The link may be broken."

The confusion and the mayhem did not last long as Kohli's account was back. 

The incident sent fans into wild speculatory mode. While some fans reckoned that something was not right in his personal space, others felt he is retiring completely. 

As his Instagram went dark, his profile on X (formerly Twitter) remained active, though the "King" offered no immediate explanation.

ALSO READ: WATCH | AUS Captain's Expression During Trophy Unveil in Draws Attention

Is it The 'Nihilist Penguin' Meme Trend?

It is still unclear as to why did such an incident happen. The fans are waiting for an official statement from Meta or Kohli.

Some also reckon it is part of the "Nihilist Penguin" meme trend, which shows a penguin walking off into the distance, became the internet's favourite explanation for his brief exit. It could also be a technical glitch and hence we should get to know what it is soon. 

Kohli would next be seen featuring in the Indian Premier League for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In fact at the IPL 2026 season - Kohli and RCB would be defending their title.