Virat Kohli A Target? Was ‘Offered Money’ By Journalists To Defame RCB And India Legend, Claims German Influencer

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli has found himself at the centre of controversy ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). German influencer and singer LizLaz claimed that unnamed journalists offered her money to publicly defame the Indian batter.

LizLaz rose to fame after Kohli’s account briefly liked one of her Instagram posts. This led to Kohli being trolled heavily by rival fans, following a similar incident involving a post by model Avneet Kaur.

Now, LizLaz alleged that journalists approached her, asking her to damage Kohli’s reputation, but she refused to make false statements.

“Some journalists even offered me money to say bad things about him (Kohli) and make allegations about things he never did. But why would I do that?” she said in an interview with Filmymantra Media. “I would never do that for publicity or money.”

The South African-German model said that she was unaware of how widely the incident had gone viral online, adding, “I found out because people started calling me. I didn’t even see it in my notifications.”

This is the second time that LizLaz has spoken in Kohli’s support. Earlier, when the “liking” mishap occured, she came out in defence of the RCB batter.

“No, I felt a bit sorry for him, actually!” Liz told Hindustan Times. “I was so happy that he liked it, but then him unliking it, I felt a bit bad for him because I don’t even know how it became such a big story.”

Kohli Under Scrutiny Before KKR Clash

The controversy comes amid a rare patch of poor form for Kohli in IPL 2026. The batter began the season well, scoring 379 runs in his first 11 games, registering nine consecutive double-digit scores.

However, in the last two matches, he has scored back-to-back ducks, including a golden duck in the last match against Mumbai Indians (MI).

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar recently claimed that Kohli is aware and “very sensitive to criticism” directed at him.

Kohli will look to return to form in RCB’s match against KKR in New Raipur on Wednesday. RCB are