Best Small Cap Mutual Funds (by 3-Year Return)
Updated June 2026 · 20 active funds · data from AMFI NAVs
Small-cap funds (at least 65% in companies ranked below 250 by market cap) ranked by 3-year CAGR from AMFI NAVs. Small-caps have historically produced the highest highs and the deepest drawdowns of any equity category - the maximum-drawdown column here is essential reading. A top rank reflects a strong recent run, not suitability or safety.
| # | Scheme | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | Sharpe | Max DD | TER | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BANDHAN SMALL CAP FUND Bandhan | +0.24% | +28.17% | +20.72% | 0.88 | -24.3% | 0.67% | ₹19.9K Cr |
| 2 | ITI Small Cap Fund ITI | +4.35% | +24.95% | +16.79% | 0.70 | -29.2% | 0.75% | ₹2.7K Cr |
| 3 | Invesco India Smallcap Fund Invesco | +2.84% | +22.89% | +20.42% | 0.89 | -23.4% | 0.46% | ₹9.4K Cr |
| 4 | Mahindra Manulife Small Cap Fund Mahindra Manulife | +3.37% | +22.41% | - | 0.90 | -26.0% | 0.74% | ₹4.0K Cr |
| 5 | BANK OF INDIA Small Cap Fund Bank of India | +9.44% | +21.93% | +19.98% | 0.79 | -27.1% | 0.61% | ₹1.9K Cr |
| 6 | quant Small Cap Fund quant | +3.56% | +20.12% | +20.58% | 0.83 | -25.2% | 1.23% | ₹27.7K Cr |
| 7 | Union Small Cap Fund Union | +11.91% | +19.09% | +17.55% | 0.73 | -26.2% | 1.83% | ₹1.7K Cr |
| 8 | DSP Small Cap Fund DSP | +3.75% | +18.99% | +18.02% | 0.72 | -24.1% | 0.83% | ₹16.4K Cr |
| 9 | Sundaram Small Cap Fund Sundaram | +3.94% | +18.68% | +17.48% | 0.76 | -23.8% | 1.07% | ₹3.3K Cr |
| 10 | Edelweiss Small Cap Fund Edelweiss | +0.75% | +18.12% | +18.12% | 0.81 | -22.9% | 0.72% | ₹5.4K Cr |
| 11 | Nippon India Small Cap Fund Nippon India | -0.29% | +18.00% | +19.96% | 0.88 | -24.2% | 0.65% | ₹66.1K Cr |
| 12 | Aditya Birla Sun Life Small Cap Fund Aditya Birla Sun Life | +4.01% | +16.97% | +13.72% | 0.55 | -26.2% | 0.91% | ₹4.8K Cr |
| 13 | Franklin India Small Cap Fund Franklin Templeton | -4.52% | +16.45% | +17.61% | 0.74 | -24.1% | 1.06% | ₹12.8K Cr |
| 14 | UTI Small Cap Fund UTI | -1.86% | +16.12% | +16.18% | 0.70 | -22.3% | 0.76% | ₹4.5K Cr |
| 15 | HSBC Small Cap Fund HSBC | -2.74% | +16.11% | - | 0.57 | -27.2% | 0.76% | ₹15.1K Cr |
| 16 | PGIM India Small Cap Fund PGIM India | +4.86% | +16.08% | - | 0.38 | -24.6% | 0.87% | ₹1.5K Cr |
| 17 | Axis Small Cap Fund Axis | -0.71% | +15.85% | +17.10% | 0.79 | -19.4% | 0.66% | ₹25.6K Cr |
| 18 | CANARA ROBECO SMALL CAP FUND Canara Robeco | -2.69% | +14.11% | +16.77% | 0.74 | -23.6% | 0.68% | ₹12.6K Cr |
| 19 | HDFC Small Cap Fund HDFC | -4.83% | +13.95% | +16.50% | 0.74 | -22.6% | 0.77% | ₹36.6K Cr |
| 20 | Kotak - Small Cap Fund Kotak Mahindra | -3.82% | +13.84% | +14.18% | 0.58 | -24.7% | 0.55% | ₹16.5K Cr |
Ranked by 3-Year CAGR (highest first), on funds with that metric available. Returns, Sharpe, drawdown and TER are computed independently from AMFI NAVs - see methodology. No paid placement.