Best Medium to Long Duration Funds in India
14 medium to long duration funds in India, of which 8 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 to Long Duration Funds ranked by Sharpe ratio
| # | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LIC MF Medium to Long Duration Fund-Direct Plan-GrowthPlatinum | 0.60 | -6.2% | +7.22% | 39% | +5.40% | ₹176 Cr | 0.22% |
| 2 | SBI Medium to Long Duration Fund-DIRECT PLAN -GrowthGold | 0.54 | -8.5% | +8.28% | 62% | +5.54% | ₹2,051 Cr | 0.78% |
| 3 | Nippon India Medium to Long Duration Fund - Direct Plan Growth Plan - Growth OptionGold | 0.41 | -9.9% | +7.74% | 53% | +6.08% | ₹351 Cr | 0.67% |
| 4 | HDFC Income Fund - Growth Option - Direct PlanBronze | 0.40 | -10.6% | +6.83% | 32% | +5.57% | ₹830 Cr | 0.81% |
| 5 | Bandhan Medium to Long Duration Fund - Direct Plan - GrowthSilver | 0.28 | -6.9% | +7.63% | 50% | +7.13% | ₹425 Cr | 0.99% |
| 6 | UTI Medium to Long Duration Fund-Growth - DirectSilver | 0.27 | -13.1% | +7.70% | 51% | +4.69% | ₹302 Cr | 1.29% |
| 7 | CANARA ROBECO INCOME FUND - DIRECT PLAN - GROWTH OPTION | 0.27 | -5.5% | +7.65% | 51% | +4.53% | ₹110 Cr | 0.78% |
| 8 | Aditya Birla Sun Life Income Fund - Growth - Direct Plan | 0.23 | -10.3% | +7.42% | 46% | +4.79% | ₹1,780 Cr | 0.69% |
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 column heading to re-sort — including the fund name, which groups a house’s funds together. Funds with no value for a 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 to Long 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.