Former India captain Virat Kohli has suddenly deactivated his Instagram, shocking his 274M followers. The unexpected move, without any explanation, has triggered widespread speculation among fans about why the star batter vanished from the platform.
Former Team India captain and star batter Virat Kohli left the fans surprised and shocked by deactivating his official Instagram account on Thursday, January 30. Kohli is the most followed cricketer in the world with more than 270 million followers on Instagram.
The veteran Indian batter is currently on break after returning to London following the ODI series against New Zealand, where he was the standout batter for Team India, amassing 240 runs, including a fifty and a century, at an average of 80 in the three matches. The 37-year-old regained his No.1 spot in ICC ODI Batters Rankings for a week before he was dethroned by New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell, who surged past the India star with a 50-point gap in ratings.
After having retired from T20Is and Tests, Virat Kohli is solely focusing on ODI cricket, intending to extend his career till the 2027 World Cup, which is likely to be his swansong, as he aims to finish his illustrious international career on a high note.
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Virat Kohli Deactivates Instagram
As Virat Kohli currently takes a break from cricket, the Indian star batter left the fans shocked by the sudden deactivation of his official Instagram account. Kohli has been actively using Instagram for the past several years before limiting his activity on the platform, posting only promotional content.
Former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suddenly deactivated his account without any official or public explanation. While typing ‘Virat Kohli’ or his handle name ‘virat.kohli’ on the search bar, users found that his profile no longer appeared.
Moreover, while clicking the previously saved links to his Instagram profile, users were redirected to an error page, confirming that the account was fully deactivated or deleted by Virat Kohli. Some users managed to get Kohli's account, but the posts, followers, and following were all missing, indicating that the profiles had been completely wiped clean.
Virat Kohli is the third-most followed athlete on Instagram after football legends Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with 274 million followers. The veteran Indian batter is also the highest-paid Indian cricketer for sponsored posts, charging between INR 11 and 14 crore per post on Instagram.
Has Kohli Officially Left Instagram?
Virat Kohli’s sudden deactivation or deletion of his official Instagram account has sparked speculations among fans, who were left shocked by the unexpected move and are questioning whether the India star batter will ever return to the platform, which has long been his platform to connect with his fans and share updates about his life and career.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), Virat Kohli fans and cricket enthusiasts expressed concern and surprise over Virat Kohli’s sudden deactivation of Instagram account, with many sharing shock, confusion, and speculation about the reason behind the unexpected move.
However, a section of fans spammed the official Instagram account, asking the platform to restore Virat Kohli’s profile.
It’s unclear why Virat Kohli deactivated his official Instagram account, which has close to 280 million followers, as neither he nor his team has provided an official explanation for the unexpected move by the former India captain. It remains to be seen whether the star batter provided an official statement for the sudden deactivation of the Instagram account.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli will return to action in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is tentatively scheduled to take place on March 26. Kohli will play his 19th consecutive IPL season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with whom he won his maiden league title, defeating Punjab Kings in the final in 2025.
