Virat Kohli’s unending paid promotions on social media draw comparisons to Times Square; Fans left baffled

Virat Kohli, the former Indian captain, has more than 270 million followers on Instagram and 66.1 million fans on X/Twitter. Leveraging his strong brand presence, the cricketing legend of India is not hesitant to promote paid content on his social media platforms.

A quick look at Kohli’s Instagram and Twitter reveals a flood of paid promotions, from energy drinks to banking products, making the experience overwhelming. Following his victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Kohli kept up his paid content streak, sharing a post about HSBC on March 10, another for a snack brand on March 11, and yet another for an energy drink on March 12. Notably, there isn’t a single post celebrating his team’s recent win.

Fans seem to be growing tired of the more aggressive side of Kohli, not the one they admired for dominating opponents on their home turf, but the one relentlessly pushing ads on his Instagram account.

Many of them haven taken to social media to react to the bizarre flurry of ads on all of Kohli’s socials.