Repatriation money raised for man killed in crash with Saskatchewan Roughrider

He was killed Saturday night in a crash near Lumsden, northwest of Regina, along with Roughrider linebacker Jayden Dalke, 30.

Both died at the scene.

RCMP have said both men were driving SUVs and Dalke was on the wrong side of the divided highway before the crash. Alcohol and cannabis were later found in the football player’s vehicle.

Mounties also said that a half-hour before the crash, a gas station in Lumsden reported that Dalke’s SUV left with unpaid fuel.

There were no passengers in the vehicles. Autopsies and toxicology tests are being done.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in a social media post Tuesday his heart remains heavy.  ”We mourn the loss of 22 year-old Bhishma Rajyaguru, whose life was taken far too soon,” Moe said. “We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones as they navigate their grief.”  

Dalke, from Leduc, Alta., helped the Riders win the 2025 Grey Cup over the Montreal Alouettes in November.

Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day has said the team plans on holding a tribute for Dalke before the next home game. The Riders host the Edmonton Elks on Thursday.

Players are to wear Dalke’s initials on their helmets, O’Day said

Patel said he remembers his friend as a talented musician and a polite, hard-working man who enjoyed watching cricket.

He added that Rajyaguru’s body can’t be transported to India until the autopsies and tests are complete, and he didn’t know when that might be.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2026.

— By Fakiha Baig in Edmonton

The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Repatriation money raised for man killed in crash with Saskatchewan Roughrider

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