diff --git a/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_ioctl.c b/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_ioctl.c
index 68c9af081461..ff15f28edb26 100644
--- a/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_ioctl.c
+++ b/core/hdd/src/wlan_hdd_ioctl.c
@@ -1880,12 +1880,10 @@ hdd_parse_channellist(struct hdd_context *hdd_ctx,
 		in_ptr = strpbrk(in_ptr, " ");
 		/* no channel list after the number of channels argument */
 		if (!in_ptr) {
-			if (0 != j) {
-				*num_channels = j;
+			if ((j != 0) && (*num_channels == j))
 				return 0;
-			} else {
-				return -EINVAL;
-			}
+			else
+				goto cnt_mismatch;
 		}
 
 		/* remove empty space */
@@ -1897,12 +1895,10 @@ hdd_parse_channellist(struct hdd_context *hdd_ctx,
 		 * argument and spaces
 		 */
 		if ('\0' == *in_ptr) {
-			if (0 != j) {
-				*num_channels = j;
+			if ((j != 0) && (*num_channels == j))
 				return 0;
-			} else {
-				return -EINVAL;
-			}
+			else
+				goto cnt_mismatch;
 		}
 
 		v = sscanf(in_ptr, "%31s ", buf);
@@ -1923,6 +1919,12 @@ hdd_parse_channellist(struct hdd_context *hdd_ctx,
 	}
 
 	return 0;
+
+cnt_mismatch:
+	hdd_debug("Mismatch in ch cnt: %d and num of ch: %d", *num_channels, j);
+	*num_channels = 0;
+	return -EINVAL;
+
 }
 
 /**