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No Virat Kohli on Instagram! Shocked fans ask wife Anushka Sharma on "Bhaia'"s whereabouts

Cricket Gully | January 30, 2026 3:39 PM CST

In a very shocking move, fans can't find Virat Kohli's account on Instagram. Later it was discovered that the Indian star batter had deactivated his Instagram account. This was discovered late night on January 29. And fans straightaway went on to ask his wife Anushka Sharma. Currently Anushka Sharma's profile is flooded with fans commenting and asking about Virat "bhaia"—what happened and why he left.

Notably, Virat Kohli used to be pretty active on his Instagram account, sharing his personal life, updating photos with his pet, and even sharing clips of him gymming. However, all these reduced over time. He started using his account fot ad promotions only, until, for the last few days, he was seen posting snaps from his match practices.

Read also: Shubman Gill Spotted at Mumbai Airport Amid T20 Snub

What actually happened with Virat Kohli?

Virat Kohli disappearing from the Instagram has created a stir, even though nobody knows the reason. Currently he has 247 million followers on Instagram, which ranks him as the 17th most followed personality on the platform. As an athlete, he stands third, after Cristiano Ronaldo (670 million) and Lionel Messi (511 million). In that case, it is unlikely that the platform deactivated his account.

So what for? Several reports are claiming that it might be an ad campaign. Virat being a global icon, his deleting his Insta account might be the required leverage for the brand. In mid-2025, Kohli parted ways with PUMA, turning down a huge ₹300 crore renewal offer. Kohli joined Agilitas, an Indian sportswear company founded by former Puma India MD Abhishek Ganguly. Kohli-owned One8 even moved to Agilitas, with Kohli joining it as a strategic investor.

After the Insta account deactivation, a tweet from ScoopWhoop speculated that this might be a hype-building move before some brand relaunch of the two.

What added to the speculation is that, Virat's brother Vikash Kohli also deactivated his account. Notably, Vikash Kohli is a key partner of Virat in the One8 venture, starting from the One8 Commune to One8 Select.

Virat Kohli's recent turnaround from social media

Well, keeping aside all business speculations, Virat Kohli has many times spoken about how he has been desperately trying to keep his life private. And how he no longer into seeking validation from the internet.

During the Champions Trophy, when the rest were posting, Ko didn't and expained it as "is not going to increase the happiness in my heart. They all know that we’ve won the trophy, so me posting about it is not going to give us two trophies. The reality is going to stay the same."