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Elks, Riders game will go on despite Jayden Dalke's death

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Elks, Riders game will go on despite Jayden Dalke's death

RCMP said Dalke's vehicle was driving northbound in the southbound lane of Highway 11 when the collision occurred

Published Jul 20, 2026 • 2 minute read

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Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back and Leduc-native Jayden Dalke was all smiles following his team's 17-13 win over the Elks on June 12, 2023.

Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back and Leduc-native Jayden Dalke was all smiles following his team's 17-13 win over the Elks on June 12, 2023. Photo by Supplied Photo

Thursday’s game between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Elks will go on as scheduled in Regina after the death of Rider team captain Jayden Dalke.

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Roughriders vice-president and general manager Jeremy O’Day said the linebacker will be remembered in a pregame ceremony, and that the Roughriders’ players will all wear helmets with Dalke’s initials.

Dalke, from Leduc, Alta., was one of two people killed in a two-vehicle crash near Lumsden, Sask. Saturday night. Dalke was 30. Bhishma Rajyaguru, 22, the driver of the other vehicle, was declared dead at the scene.

RCMP said Dalke’s vehicle was driving northbound in the southbound lane of Highway 11 when the collision occurred. RCMP said that cannabis and liquor were found in Dalke’s SUV. Toxicology screens and autopsies of the victims will be performed.

According to RCMP spokeswoman Mandy Meier, RCMP had received a report about the silver SUV being driven “erratically.” A Lumsden business also reported that the driver of the silver SUV had filled up at a gas station and left without paying, Maier said.

A GoFundMe page was started to raise funds to send Rajyaguru back to India to be laid to rest. So far, more than $72,000 was raised.

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“We lost a beautiful soul, a best friend and a beacon of light,” reads the statement from GoFundMe page. “Bhishma, only 22 years old, was tragically killed in a head-on collision on Highway 11, just outside Regina. He was the victim of an alleged wrong-way driver — a senseless tragedy that has shattered the hearts of everyone who knew him.

“His parents in India are currently facing the nightmare that no parent should ever have to endure: the loss of their child. We, his friends here in Canada, are coming together to ensure that Bhishma is transported back home so his family can hold him one last time and lay him to rest.”

O’Day said he found out about the fatal crash Sunday morning, and that the Roughriders considered many options on how to proceed this week—including asking for the game to be postponed. But the decision was made between the brass, coaches and players that the best way to remember their lost teammate would be by playing the game.

“Getting back and doing what players do is going to help them through the process,” said O’Day.

“Jayden would want us to get back to work.”

Leduc City Council issued a statement Monday about Dalke, saying, “Jayden’s passing is a heartbreaking loss that will be felt across our community. At times like these, we are reminded that no matter where our hometown heroes travel, they will always be part of the Leduc family.”

— with files from the Regina Leader Post

[Saskatchewan Roughriders Jayden Dalke during training camp at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park. Photo taken in Saskatoon, Sask. on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (Michelle Berg / Saskatoon StarPhoenix)

Riders’ captain Dalke driving on wrong side of highway in fatal collision: RCMP](https://edmontonjournal.com/local-news/saskatchewan-news/riders-captain-dalke-driving-on-wrong-side-of-highway-in-fatal-collision-rcmp/wcm/84b666a6-92b3-4a3c-9fb5-1ab7a7a3fe7c)

2. [Defensive back/linebacker Jayden Dalke stretches during 2022 training camp for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders. Dalke died following a July 18, 2026, traffic accident near Lumsden.

Roughriders veteran Jayden Dalke — former Wildcat, Golden Bear — dies in vehicle accident](https://edmontonjournal.com/sports/saskatchewan-roughriders-veteran-jayden-dalke-dies-in-vehicle-accident/wcm/c4804ec3-60f4-415c-9ba5-c2e2b34b54fb)

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