diff --git a/.changes/unreleased/fixed-20260810-125620.yaml b/.changes/unreleased/fixed-20260810-125620.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dd0798e37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/unreleased/fixed-20260810-125620.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+kind: Fixed
+body: |-
+  Preserve reservation pods during BindRequest cache lag
diff --git a/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation.go b/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation.go
index 1944827e3..dc1ac17aa 100644
--- a/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation.go
+++ b/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation.go
@@ -226,9 +226,9 @@ func (rsc *service) syncForPods(ctx context.Context, pods []*v1.Pod, gpuGroupToS
 	return nil
 }
 
-// hasActiveBindRequestsForGpuGroup checks if any non-terminal BindRequests reference
-// the given GPU group. This prevents premature reservation pod deletion when the
-// informer cache has not yet propagated GPU group labels on recently-bound fraction pods.
+// hasActiveBindRequestsForGpuGroup checks if BindRequests still protect the GPU group.
+// A succeeded BindRequest also protects the reservation while its pod is still alive:
+// the pod label can lag behind the BindRequest status in the controller cache.
 func (rsc *service) hasActiveBindRequestsForGpuGroup(ctx context.Context, gpuGroup string) (bool, error) {
 	bindRequestList := &schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestList{}
 	if err := rsc.kubeClient.List(ctx, bindRequestList); err != nil {
@@ -236,16 +236,56 @@ func (rsc *service) hasActiveBindRequestsForGpuGroup(ctx context.Context, gpuGro
 	}
 
 	for _, br := range bindRequestList.Items {
-		if br.Status.Phase == schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestPhaseSucceeded ||
-			br.Status.Phase == schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestPhaseFailed {
+		if !slices.Contains(br.Spec.SelectedGPUGroups, gpuGroup) {
 			continue
 		}
-		if slices.Contains(br.Spec.SelectedGPUGroups, gpuGroup) {
-			return true, nil
+
+		if br.Status.Phase == schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestPhaseFailed {
+			continue
 		}
+
+		if br.Status.Phase == schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestPhaseSucceeded {
+			hasLivePod, err := rsc.hasLivePodForBindRequest(ctx, &br)
+			if err != nil {
+				return false, err
+			}
+			if hasLivePod {
+				return true, nil
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		return true, nil
 	}
 	return false, nil
 }
+
+func (rsc *service) hasLivePodForBindRequest(ctx context.Context, bindRequest *schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequest) (bool, error) {
+	pod := &v1.Pod{}
+	err := rsc.kubeClient.Get(ctx, client.ObjectKey{
+		Namespace: bindRequest.Namespace,
+		Name:      bindRequest.Spec.PodName,
+	}, pod)
+	if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to get pod for BindRequest <%s/%s>: %w",
+			bindRequest.Namespace, bindRequest.Name, err)
+	}
+
+	if slices.Contains([]v1.PodPhase{v1.PodSucceeded, v1.PodFailed}, pod.Status.Phase) {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	for _, gpuGroup := range bindRequest.Spec.SelectedGPUGroups {
+		if slices.Contains(resources.GetGpuGroups(pod), gpuGroup) {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	return true, nil
+}
 func (rsc *service) ReserveGpuDevice(ctx context.Context, pod *v1.Pod, nodeName string, gpuGroup string) (string, error) {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
 
diff --git a/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation_test.go b/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation_test.go
index 0749cdef9..d3ddf8b38 100644
--- a/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation_test.go
+++ b/pkg/binder/binding/resourcereservation/resource_reservation_test.go
@@ -1437,6 +1437,47 @@ var _ = Describe("Race condition: reservation pod deleted during concurrent bind
 				"Reservation pod should be deleted when only terminal BindRequests exist")
 		})
 
+		It("should preserve reservation pod when succeeded BindRequest still has a live pod", func() {
+			livePod := &v1.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "fraction-pod-1",
+					Namespace: "team-a",
+				},
+				Status: v1.PodStatus{
+					Phase: v1.PodPending,
+				},
+			}
+			succeededBindRequest := &schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequest{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "bind-request-done",
+					Namespace: "team-a",
+				},
+				Spec: schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestSpec{
+					PodName:           livePod.Name,
+					SelectedNode:      nodeName,
+					SelectedGPUGroups: []string{gpuGroup},
+				},
+				Status: schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestStatus{
+					Phase: schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequestPhaseSucceeded,
+				},
+			}
+
+			clientWithObjs := fake.NewClientBuilder().WithScheme(testScheme).
+				WithRuntimeObjects(reservationPod.DeepCopy(), livePod, succeededBindRequest).
+				WithIndex(&v1.Pod{}, "spec.nodeName", nodeNameIndexer).Build()
+			rsc := initializeTestService(clientWithObjs)
+
+			err := rsc.SyncForGpuGroup(context.TODO(), gpuGroup)
+			Expect(err).To(Succeed())
+
+			pods := &v1.PodList{}
+			err = clientWithObjs.List(context.Background(), pods,
+				runtimeClient.InNamespace(resourceReservationNameSpace))
+			Expect(err).To(Succeed())
+			Expect(len(pods.Items)).To(Equal(1),
+				"Reservation pod should be preserved while the bound pod may still be missing the gpu-group label")
+		})
+
 		It("should delete reservation pod when only failed BindRequests exist", func() {
 			failedBindRequest := &schedulingv1alpha2.BindRequest{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{