diff --git a/drivers/vdpa/mlx5/net/mlx5_vnet.c b/drivers/vdpa/mlx5/net/mlx5_vnet.c
index d0f91078600e9..9fe1071a96444 100644
--- a/drivers/vdpa/mlx5/net/mlx5_vnet.c
+++ b/drivers/vdpa/mlx5/net/mlx5_vnet.c
@@ -1669,7 +1669,7 @@ static void mlx5_vdpa_kick_vq(struct vdpa_device *vdev, u16 idx)
 		return;
 
 	if (unlikely(is_ctrl_vq_idx(mvdev, idx))) {
-		if (!mvdev->cvq.ready)
+		if (!mvdev->wq || !mvdev->cvq.ready)
 			return;
 
 		wqent = kzalloc(sizeof(*wqent), GFP_ATOMIC);
@@ -2707,9 +2707,12 @@ static void mlx5_vdpa_dev_del(struct vdpa_mgmt_dev *v_mdev, struct vdpa_device *
 	struct mlx5_vdpa_mgmtdev *mgtdev = container_of(v_mdev, struct mlx5_vdpa_mgmtdev, mgtdev);
 	struct mlx5_vdpa_dev *mvdev = to_mvdev(dev);
 	struct mlx5_vdpa_net *ndev = to_mlx5_vdpa_ndev(mvdev);
+	struct workqueue_struct *wq;
 
 	mlx5_notifier_unregister(mvdev->mdev, &ndev->nb);
-	destroy_workqueue(mvdev->wq);
+	wq = mvdev->wq;
+	mvdev->wq = NULL;
+	destroy_workqueue(wq);
 	_vdpa_unregister_device(dev);
 	mgtdev->ndev = NULL;
 }