With more than half the league stage done, Delhi Capitals find themselves only one spot ahead of the bottom-placed UP Warriorz in this season of Women's Premier League. For a team that has secured direct qualification to the finals in each of the first three seasons as group toppers, it's an unfamiliar position to be in.

Even as they kickstarted the Vadodara leg with a victory, five games in, the absence of Annabel Sutherland is felt. The balance in both the batting and the bowling department is yet to be filled. The experiment to lengthen the batting order by including Deeya Yadav in place of Minnu Mani in the previous game - hoping Shafali Verma could offer the supporting overs - is yet to see its desired result.

With only three games left in their bid for a place in the playoffs, DC run into the inform and the unbeaten Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a side that has already sealed qualification. Moreover, despite being hit by a spate of injuries and absence, except the tournament opener, each of their victories have been performances of thumping dominance, including the eight-wicket win they registered the last time they faced Delhi Capitals.

To make their case stronger, Pooja Vastrakar, who was recovering from a hamstring injury, has joined the squad. With Radha Yadav strengthening her case as a batter, Vastrakar's return could lead to some tinkering with the line-up. Georgia Voll hasn't quite set the tournament on fire, and RCB's insistence on using Linsey Smith's bowling in the powerplay could find a stronger case now.

In all this luxury that RCB have to experiment ahead of the playoffs, with their place secured in the next round, Capitals could find an opportunity to secure their third win of the season. With only three games left, time is running out for them to even make a bid for a place in the playoffs. The only good news is that barring RCB, the rest of the teams too find themselves clubbed in a similar traffic.