Best Small Cap Mutual Funds (by 3-Year Return)
Updated September 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 | ITI Small Cap Fund ITI | +21.81% | +25.33% | +19.22% | 0.81 | -29.2% | 0.75% | ₹2.7K Cr |
| 2 | BANDHAN SMALL CAP FUND Bandhan | +12.47% | +25.19% | +19.79% | 0.92 | -24.3% | 0.67% | ₹19.9K Cr |
| 3 | Invesco India Smallcap Fund Invesco | +16.74% | +23.51% | +19.91% | 0.97 | -23.4% | 0.46% | ₹9.4K Cr |
| 4 | BANK OF INDIA Small Cap Fund Bank of India | +27.91% | +22.75% | +20.11% | 0.89 | -27.1% | 0.61% | ₹1.9K Cr |
| 5 | Mahindra Manulife Small Cap Fund Mahindra Manulife | +18.22% | +21.09% | - | 1.03 | -26.0% | 0.74% | ₹4.0K Cr |
| 6 | LIC MF Small Cap Fund LIC | +16.83% | +19.29% | - | 0.64 | -27.0% | 2.42% | ₹593 Cr |
| 7 | DSP Small Cap Fund DSP | +18.70% | +18.23% | +18.09% | 0.81 | -24.1% | 0.83% | ₹16.4K Cr |
| 8 | quant Small Cap Fund quant | +14.89% | +18.06% | +19.25% | 0.88 | -25.2% | 1.23% | ₹27.7K Cr |
| 9 | Union Small Cap Fund Union | +22.09% | +17.90% | +17.35% | 0.82 | -26.2% | 1.83% | ₹1.7K Cr |
| 10 | PGIM India Small Cap Fund PGIM India | +14.92% | +17.37% | +13.68% | 0.50 | -24.6% | 0.87% | ₹1.5K Cr |
| 11 | Sundaram Small Cap Fund Sundaram | +14.49% | +17.18% | +16.35% | 0.81 | -23.8% | 1.07% | ₹3.3K Cr |
| 12 | Aditya Birla Sun Life Small Cap Fund Aditya Birla Sun Life | +19.11% | +16.17% | +13.93% | 0.63 | -26.2% | - | ₹4.8K Cr |
| 13 | Edelweiss Small Cap Fund Edelweiss | +9.47% | +15.99% | +16.82% | 0.89 | -22.9% | 0.72% | ₹5.4K Cr |
| 14 | Axis Small Cap Fund Axis | +10.44% | +15.92% | +15.83% | 0.88 | -19.4% | 0.66% | ₹25.6K Cr |
| 15 | Nippon India Small Cap Fund Nippon India | +9.62% | +15.73% | +18.67% | 0.92 | -24.2% | 0.65% | ₹66.1K Cr |
| 16 | HSBC Small Cap Fund HSBC | +13.47% | +15.20% | - | 0.68 | -27.2% | 0.76% | ₹15.1K Cr |
| 17 | UTI Small Cap Fund UTI | +6.23% | +14.30% | +15.09% | 0.75 | -22.3% | 0.76% | ₹4.5K Cr |
| 18 | Franklin India Small Cap Fund Franklin Templeton | +5.28% | +13.24% | +15.51% | 0.77 | -24.1% | 1.06% | ₹12.8K Cr |
| 19 | Tata Small Cap Fund Tata | +1.04% | +13.23% | +15.98% | 0.74 | -30.9% | 0.48% | ₹10.7K Cr |
| 20 | Kotak - Small Cap Fund Kotak Mahindra | +7.72% | +13.15% | +13.07% | 0.66 | -24.7% | - | ₹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.