Best Medium Duration Funds in India

14 medium duration funds in India, of which 11 meet the eligibility criteria, ranked on Sharpe ratio. Income with less volatility than equity?

Ranked on risk-adjusted return, not raw return — the point of this group is smoother outcomes.

Medium Duration Funds ranked by Sharpe ratio

#Fund
1Aditya Birla Sun Life Medium Term Plan - Growth - Direct PlanSilver2.19-12.7%+10.36%68%+9.57%₹3,280 Cr0.83%
2ICICI Prudential Medium Term Bond Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold1.73-5.1%+8.33%62%+8.03%₹5,481 Cr0.73%
3Kotak Medium Term Fund - Direct GrowthSilver1.67-5.2%+7.65%41%+8.00%₹1,915 Cr0.67%
4Axis Strategic Bond Fund - Direct Plan - Growth OptionGold1.64-7.3%+8.48%64%+7.26%₹2,098 Cr0.72%
5HSBC Medium Duration Fund - Direct GrowthBronze1.27-0.6%+8.15%66%+6.26%₹687 Cr0.41%
6HDFC Medium Term Debt Fund - Growth Option - Direct Plan1.27-3.5%+8.17%59%+6.98%₹3,614 Cr0.70%
7Nippon India Medium Duration Fund - Direct Plan - Growth Option1.23-3.3%+8.76%73%+6.54%₹150 Cr0.50%
8SBI MEDIUM DURATION FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTHBronze1.21-7.5%+9.38%68%+6.98%₹6,466 Cr0.72%
9Invesco India Medium Duration Fund - Direct Plan - Growth1.03-2.3%+7.33%18%+5.49%₹165 Cr0.32%
10DSP Bond Fund - Direct Plan - Growth0.89-5.4%+6.09%27%+5.60%₹254 Cr0.41%
11Bandhan Medium Duration Fund - Direct Plan - Growth0.88-3.6%+7.79%44%+6.07%₹1,320 Cr0.66%

Badges are our own quality tiers — Platinum (top 10%), Gold (25%), Silver (50%), Bronze (75%) — scored within each sub-category, so they compare a fund with its peers and not with funds of a different type. “3Y typical” is the median annualised return across every 3-year holding period the fund has lived through, not a single 3-year figure; “3Y loss odds” is the share of those periods that ended down. “Beat peers” is the share in which it beat its category's median, and “worst fall” is its deepest peak-to-trough drop. Open a fund for the full distribution. Click any numeric column to re-sort; funds with no value for that column sort last. Returns over 1 year are annualised (CAGR). Past performance does not indicate future returns. Eligibility: Direct, Growth only, minimum AUM ₹100 Cr, at least 1 year(s) old. Past performance. Returns for 3y/5y are annualised (CAGR) and are withheld where the NAV series does not support the period.

Medium Duration Funds — FAQs
Why rank these on risk-adjusted return?

The purpose of this group is a smoother path, not the highest possible number. A fund that earned slightly less with much less volatility is doing the job better, which is what a risk-adjusted measure captures and a raw return does not.

What risks do debt funds carry?

Two main ones. Interest-rate risk: when yields rise, existing bonds fall in value, and longer-duration funds move more. Credit risk: a borrower may be downgraded or default, which affects the NAV directly. Categories differ substantially in how much of each they take.