Mumbai, Jan 30: Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s Instagram account was restored on Friday morning after briefly disappearing overnight, triggering widespread speculation and concern among fans.

One of the most-followed athletes in the world, Kohli’s account went offline late on January 30, leaving users unable to access his profile. The account reappeared at around 8.30 am on Friday. However, the Instagram account of his brother, Vikas Kohli, which was also found deactivated around the same time, remained inaccessible at the time of filing this report.

There has been no official clarification from Kohli, his management team or Instagram on whether the temporary disappearance was intentional or the result of a technical issue.

The brief blackout sparked a frenzy on social media, with fans flooding platforms such as X and Instagram with reactions ranging from concern to humour. Several users tagged Instagram’s official handle seeking an explanation.

Some fans also turned to actor Anushka Sharma’s Instagram page, posting light-hearted comments asking about Kohli’s missing account.

As speculation grew overnight, memes soon followed. Social media users linked the episode to a viral “missing penguin” trend, joking that Kohli had “vanished from the internet” without explanation.

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While Kohli’s account is now back online, the reason behind its sudden disappearance remains unclear, leaving fans amused and puzzled by the episode.