New Delhi: After hours of confusion, concern and meme-fueled speculation, Indian batting legend Virat Kohli’s Instagram account came back online on Friday morning. India’s most-followed Instagram handle suddenly disappeared early Friday morning, but reappeared without any official explanation from the former India captain or from Instagram, much to the relief of millions of cricket fans who were worried something was wrong.Push boundaries with your YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Kohli’s verified account, which was followed by more than 274 million users, disappeared from search and from his Instagram page, and fans were met with the familiar message: “This page is unavailable.” The unexplained power outage caused panic across social media, with supporters flocking to platforms like X and Instagram in search of answers. As speculation snowballed, there was no explanation from Kohli, his management team or Mehta, and fans filled the silence with theories, humor and concerns.
The sudden return of the account later that day eased tensions, but the lack of an official statement leaves the mystery dead. It remains unclear whether this disappearance was due to a technical glitch, a temporary disablement, or a platform-related issue.
Virat Kohli’s handle is back
During the brief outage, fans even turned their attention to Kohli’s wife, actor Anushka Sharma, who flooded her comment section with anxious and playful messages asking about the cricketer’s missing account. Anushka has largely stayed out of the spotlight in recent months and has not reacted publicly, consistent with the couple’s recent focus on privacy.Adding to the conspiracy, Kohli’s younger brother Vikas Kohli’s Instagram account was also reported missing around the same time, further increasing speculation. Meanwhile, Kohli’s account on X remained active throughout, but he did not mention the Instagram episode there either.
The cause of the panic earlier
The power outage comes at a time when Kohli is in good form in his cricket and has recently had a fruitful run in international cricket as he prepares for the upcoming IPL 2026 season with Royal Challengers Bangalore. His Instagram account is a major hub for brand collaborations, personal updates, fan engagement, and is considered one of the most influential athlete profiles in the world.As of now, the King is back on Instagram, but with silence from all sides, fans are still waiting for answers on what caused India’s biggest social media scare that day.