Best Sectoral/Thematic funds in India

216 sectoral/thematic funds in India, of which 95 meet the eligibility criteria, ranked on 5Y return. What compounds over 5–10 years?

Ranked on 5-year annualised return (CAGR), because the question is a 5–10 year one. Funds younger than 5 years are listed after those with a 5-year record. Past performance does not predict future returns.

Sectoral/Thematic funds ranked by 5Y return

#Fund
1Aditya Birla Sun Life PSU Equity Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthGold+24.92%+16.71%+24.51%+33.10%100%-33.8%₹6,019 Cr0.71%
2SBI PSU Fund - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTHBronze+24.84%+13.05%+24.90%+10.42%34%-47.1%₹6,684 Cr0.86%
3LIC MF Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthSilver+24.17%+15.29%+26.71%+15.38%44%-39.6%₹1,137 Cr1.35%
4ICICI Prudential Infrastructure Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze+23.83%+7.77%+20.18%+18.18%51%-46.8%₹8,550 Cr1.30%
5Nippon India Power & Infra Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth OptionGold+23.53%+15.97%+22.19%+18.03%51%-53.2%₹8,043 Cr1.15%
6DSP India T.I.G.E.R. Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthGold+23.30%+19.58%+23.33%+19.13%52%-46.9%₹6,264 Cr1.06%
7Invesco India PSU Equity Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthBronze+23.00%+9.15%+23.38%+18.12%51%-33.4%₹1,454 Cr1.25%
8BANK OF INDIA Manufacturing & Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthGold+22.52%+24.10%+24.89%+20.43%57%-43.5%₹837 Cr1.04%
9UTI-Transportation and Logistics Fund-Growth Option- DirectGold+21.89%+17.80%+21.67%+19.67%54%-56.9%₹4,263 Cr0.87%
10CANARA ROBECO INFRASTRUCTURE FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH OPTIONBronze+21.87%+8.29%+22.31%+21.22%56%-44.1%₹998 Cr1.10%
11ICICI Prudential Manufacturing Fund - Direct Plan - Cumulative OptionGold+21.52%+18.59%+23.47%+26.15%98%-37.6%₹6,843 Cr1.21%
12Invesco India Infrastructure Fund - Direct Plan - Growth OptionSilver+21.27%+11.37%+22.75%+22.87%61%-36.2%₹1,540 Cr1.19%
13HDFC Infrastructure Fund - Growth Option - Direct Plan+20.94%+1.92%+17.34%+13.06%42%-63.1%₹2,444 Cr1.35%
14Franklin Build India Fund - Direct - Growth+20.86%+4.75%+20.28%+21.79%61%-42.8%₹3,256 Cr1.12%
15Kotak Infrastructure & Economic Reform Fund- Direct Plan- Growth OptionSilver+20.43%+11.88%+17.67%+19.46%54%-46.0%₹2,447 Cr0.82%
16quant Infrastructure Fund - Growth Option-Direct PlanSilver+20.42%+14.65%+19.85%+18.69%53%-46.0%₹3,205 Cr1.09%
17quant ESG Integration Strategy Fund - Growth Option - Direct PlanPlatinum+20.27%+25.84%+18.02%+21.77%71%-25.1%₹312 Cr1.87%
18ICICI Prudential India Opportunities Fund - Direct Plan - Cumulative OptionBronze+20.24%+6.56%+16.92%+26.77%99%-40.1%₹37,257 Cr0.91%
19quant Quantamental Fund - Growth Option - Direct PlanPlatinum+20.20%+16.31%+17.77%+23.78%99%-23.3%₹1,653 Cr1.60%
20Franklin India Opportunities Fund - Direct - GrowthSilver+19.77%+8.28%+23.19%+18.98%53%-39.3%₹9,192 Cr0.92%
21Aditya Birla Sun Life Infrastructure Fund - Growth - Direct PlanSilver+19.36%+17.67%+19.72%+18.91%53%-53.5%₹1,234 Cr1.53%
22SBI INFRASTRUCTURE FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTHBronze+18.55%+8.72%+17.01%+18.92%54%-42.1%₹4,852 Cr1.17%
23SBI HEALTHCARE OPPORTUNITIES FUND - DIRECT PLAN -GROWTHPlatinum+18.45%+22.63%+24.06%+20.80%60%-30.5%₹4,998 Cr1.03%
24Tata Infrastructure Fund -Direct Plan -Growth Option+18.40%+9.50%+15.33%+18.09%51%-42.5%₹2,103 Cr1.22%
25BANDHAN Infrastructure Fund-Direct Plan-Growth+18.02%+2.44%+18.27%+19.88%57%-56.9%₹1,545 Cr1.01%

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 5 year(s) old. Past performance. Returns for 3y/5y are annualised (CAGR) and are withheld where the NAV series does not support the period.

Sectoral/Thematic funds — FAQs
What horizon suits equity funds?

Equity funds are volatile over short periods, so they are generally considered for horizons of five years or more. Over shorter spans the range of outcomes is wide enough that the average return is a poor guide.

What do large, mid and small cap mean?

SEBI defines them by market-capitalisation rank: the top 100 listed companies are large cap, ranks 101–250 are mid cap, and 251 onward are small cap. Categories differ in how much they must hold in each band, which drives most of the difference in volatility.

Should I pick the fund with the highest past return?

Past return alone is a weak signal — it reflects the period measured as much as the fund. Consistency across rolling periods, behaviour in falling markets, cost, and whether the fund still follows the mandate you signed up for all matter. Past performance does not indicate future returns.