Mumbai: India’s star cricketer Virat Kohli’s Instagram account mysteriously disappeared overnight on January 30, triggering widespread concern among fans.

One of the most-followed athletes in the world, Virat profile, which has over 274 million followers, appeared to be deactivated without warning. Users attempting to access his handle, @virat.kohli, were met with error messages stating, “This page isn’t available” or “The link may be broken.”

The Instagram account of Virat Kohli’s brother, Vikas Kohli, was also found missing around the same time, adding to the confusion. There has been no official clarification from the cricketer, his management team, or Instagram regarding whether the disappearance was intentional or caused by a technical glitch.

The sudden blackout sent fans into a frenzy on social media, with many tagging Instagram’s official handle and demanding answers. In Virat Kohli’s absence, fans even flooded the comment section of his wife Anushka Sharma’s recent posts, seeking clues in a mix of concern and humour.

However, Virat Kohli’s account reappeared at around 8:30 am on Friday itself, though the reason behind the brief outage remains unclear.

On the professional front, Virat Kohli recently reclaimed the no. 1 spot in the ICC ODI batting rankings, albeit briefly, following his impressive 124-run knock against New Zealand earlier this month. With the series concluded, attention now shifts to the upcoming IPL season, where he will once again lead Royal Challengers Bengaluru.