Virat Kohli’s bizarre Instagram controversy has taken another dramatic turn after German influencer and singer LizLaz claimed she was allegedly offered money by journalists to publicly target the Royal Challengers Bengaluru star and make false allegations against him.Speaking in an interview with Filmymantra Media, clips of which have gone viral on social media, LizLaz said she refused to participate in any attempt to damage Kohli’s reputation for publicity or financial gain.“Some journalists even offered me money to say bad things about him and make allegations about things he never did. But why would I do that?” she said.The influencer further clarified that she had no intention of speaking against Kohli and described him as one of her favourite cricketers.“I would never do that for publicity or money,” she added.The controversy erupted after Kohli’s Instagram account appeared to “like” an older post featuring LizLaz alongside photographer Advait Vaidya. Since Kohli does not follow the influencer, screenshots of the interaction quickly went viral, sparking memes and online speculation.Social media users also revived Kohli’s now-famous “algorithm” explanation from a similar controversy in 2025 involving actress and influencer Avneet Kaur. At the time, Kohli had clarified that the interaction was accidental and linked to Instagram’s algorithm while clearing his feed.This time too, the incident largely turned into meme material online, with phrases such as “algorithm registered another interaction” trending across platforms.LizLaz said she only became aware of the issue after receiving numerous calls and messages.“I found out because people started calling me. I didn’t even see it in my notifications,” she said.She also expressed sympathy for Kohli over the trolling he faced online after the controversy exploded on social media. An older video of LizLaz supporting Royal Challengers Bengaluru also resurfaced, in which she described herself as an RCB fan and praised Kohli as one of the most exciting players to watch.Meanwhile, Kohli’s on-field form has also become a major talking point during IPL 2026. The RCB opener had scored 379 runs in his first 11 matches and played a crucial role in Bengaluru’s strong campaign this season.However, the former India captain heads into RCB’s crucial clash against Kolkata Knight Riders after back-to-back ducks, having faced just three balls across both dismissals.Despite Kohli’s brief slump, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have continued their winning run, highlighting the side’s improved balance heading into the final phase of IPL 2026.