India speedster Arshdeep Singh triggered a massive social media frenzy on Monday night after conducting a drastic, near-total wipeout of his official Instagram profile.
The left-arm pacer changed his display picture and removed over 200 posts from his feed, dropping his total upload count to just 40. Most notably, the sudden digital cleanup saw the disappearance of his incredibly famous viral reel with Virat Kohli, which had amassed over 150 million views on the platform.
Disappearance of Viral Kohli Reel
Arshdeep’s Instagram feed has long been a favorite destination for fans due to his lighthearted post-series videos. The most iconic of these was shot in December 2025 following India’s ODI series victory against South Africa in Visakhapatnam.
In that blockbuster clip, Arshdeep jokingly teased a red-hot Virat Kohli, saying the target was too small for him to smash a third consecutive century. Kohli fired back with a legendary, witty reply: “Thankfully we won the toss, brother, otherwise you would have given away a century in the dew!” The sudden removal of this widely beloved, 150-million-view interaction has left fans completely baffled.
Fact-Checking Rumors
As soon as the feed was wiped, rumors began circulating on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that Arshdeep had completely scrubbed his profile of any connection to his IPL franchise, Punjab Kings (PBKS).
However, independent profile verifications confirmed these claims to be false. Arshdeep has neither removed PBKS from his official bio nor deleted all content related to the franchise. The remaining 40 posts on his profile are a curated mix of milestones from his cricket journey, tender family photographs, and selected commercial endorsements.
Workload, Criticism, and an Intense IPL Season
While Arshdeep has not offered an official explanation for the digital reset, analysts suggest it could be a mental circuit-breaker following a highly turbulent few weeks both on and off the field:
On-Field Slump: Arshdeep endured a highly demanding and expensive IPL 2026 campaign. He managed to pick up 14 wickets across 14 league matches but leaked runs at an uncharacteristic and expensive economy rate of 10.21, as PBKS failed to secure a playoff berth.
Off-Field Storm: The bowler recently found himself at the epicenter of intense digital backlash. Earlier in the month, a video allegedly capturing a casual, racially insensitive remark directed at teammate Tilak Varma went viral, drawing sharp public criticism from former cricketers like Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, who publicly called for his suspension. This was followed by a feisty, defensive exchange with a fan on Snapchat.
