The middle-order batsman, who played 433 international matches, including 99 Tests, wasn’t allowed to contest for the same post at the 2017 elections by the then returning officer K. Rajiv Reddy who had claimed that the BCCI hadn’t exonerated Azharuddin formally rescinded the life ban on him, even after the Andhra High Court giving him a clean chit. Azharuddin says his decision was biased. This time, the electoral officer, a different one though, allowed him to contest. Now, Azharuddin is upbeat about his prospects against K Dilip Kumar, a former cricketer and coach, and businessman Prakashchand Jain, also an ex-Chairman of the HCA Ad-hoc Committee (November 2016-March 2017), his opponents. Azharuddin has a full-fledged team which is contesting for all six posts.