Two funds walk into a table. Only the numbers talk.
HDFC Small Cap Fund vs BANDHAN Small Cap Fund
Pick two or three funds. We’ll tell you in plain words which grew faster, which was calmer, which costs less and what your money would have become. Figures are for the Direct plan, Growth option, where a fund has one.
- AHDFC Small Cap Fund
HDFC Mutual Fund- Small Cap Fund
- Direct plan
- Very High Risk
NAV ₹156.58 on 13 Nov 2026
- BBANDHAN Small Cap Fund
Bandhan Mutual Fund- Small Cap Fund
- Direct plan
- Very High Risk
NAV ₹57.08 on 13 Nov 2026
The short version
Who comes out ahead on each measure, over the 5 years all of them have been around.
Grew faster
BBANDHAN Small Cap Fund
BANDHAN Small Cap Fund returned 19.3% a year over 5 years, against 13.6% for HDFC Small Cap Fund. ₹1 lakh invested 5 years ago would be about ₹2.41 Lakh today, against ₹1.89 Lakh.
Smoother ride
AHDFC Small Cap Fund
HDFC Small Cap Fund swung the least: about 16% a year either way, against 17.5% for BANDHAN Small Cap Fund. Lower means fewer scary days.
Fell less in a crash
No fair winner yet
At its worst, BANDHAN Small Cap Fund fell 24.3% from its peak, against 48.3% for HDFC Small Cap Fund. On ₹1 lakh, that's a dip to ₹51,744 at the bottom for HDFC Small Cap Fund. Could you have held on?
Not a fair fight: we only have data for BANDHAN Small Cap Fund (from Feb 2020), so it has not been through the 2020 crash the others fell in.
More consistent
No fair winner yet
Pick any day in the past and hold for a year: BANDHAN Small Cap Fund ended up in profit 84% of the time, against 74% for HDFC Small Cap Fund.
Not a fair fight: we only have data for BANDHAN Small Cap Fund (from Feb 2020), so it has not been through the 2020 crash the others fell in.
Costs less
BBANDHAN Small Cap Fund
BANDHAN Small Cap Fund charges 0.61% a year, against 0.79% for HDFC Small Cap Fund. On ₹1 lakh that's ₹610 a year against ₹790, taken quietly from the NAV.
What your money would have become
The same amount, put into each fund on the same day.
The dashed line is the ₹10,000 you put in. Above it is profit, below it is loss.
- AHDFC Small Cap Fund₹19,212 from ₹10,000(14% a year)
- BBANDHAN Small Cap Fund₹24,559 from ₹10,000(19.7% a year)
A one-time ₹10,000 put in 5 years ago, valued at the latest NAV. This is what happened, not what will.
Strengths and watch-outs
Each fund judged against its own category, and against a 5-year SBI FD at 6.05%.
AHDFC Small Cap Fund
- Strength: Beat a 5-year SBI FD: 13.6% a year over 5 years, against 6.05%
- Watch out: Fell harder than its category in the worst crash
BBANDHAN Small Cap Fund
- Strength: Ahead of its category: 19.3% a year over 5 years, against a category average of 14.5%
- Strength: In the top quarter of its category over 5 years (#2 of 21)
- Strength: Beat a 5-year SBI FD: 19.3% a year over 5 years, against 6.05%
All the numbers
The stronger figure in each row is marked Best. Under each return is the fund’s rank in its category and the category average.
| Measure | AHDFC Small Cap Fund | BBANDHAN Small Cap Fund |
|---|---|---|
| ReturnsHow much the fund grew. Beyond a year, this is per year (annualised). | ||
| 1 yearLast 12 months, the most noisy figure | -3.7%#30 of 30 · avg 11% | 9.3%Best#16 of 30 · avg 11% |
| 3 yearsPer year, over a full market mood swing | 9.4%#24 of 25 · avg 14.4% | 22.4%Best#1 of 25 · avg 14.4% |
| 5 yearsPer year, the fairest single test | 13.6%#12 of 21 · avg 14.5% | 19.3%Best#2 of 21 · avg 14.5% |
| 10 yearsPer year, across bull and bear markets | 17.7%#6 of 12 · avg 16.8% | – |
| RiskHow bumpy the ride was. This is what decides whether you stay invested. | ||
| Ups and downsVolatility: how far it swings in a typical year. Lower is calmer | 16%Bestcategory avg 17.1% | 17.5%category avg 17.1% |
| Worst fallThe biggest drop from a peak in 10 years. Lower is better | −48.3%category avg −31.2% | −24.3%data from 26 Feb 2020 only |
| Best 12 monthsIts strongest year | 126.3% | 114.9%data from 26 Feb 2020 only |
| Worst 12 monthsIts weakest year | -43.6% | -9.9%data from 26 Feb 2020 only |
| Odds of a gainShare of all 1-year holding periods that ended in profit | 74% | 84%data from 26 Feb 2020 only |
| Cost and sizeThe fee comes out of your returns every year, whether the fund does well or not. | ||
| Expense ratioYearly fee. Lower keeps more for you | 0.79% | 0.61%Best |
| Fund sizeMoney managed (AUM). Neither better nor worse | ₹40,801 Cr | ₹35,856 Cr |
| Minimum SIPSmallest monthly amount | ₹100 | ₹100 |
| Lock-inTime before you can withdraw | None | None |
“Best” is not a recommendation: a fund that returned more usually took more risk to do it.
Which one fits you?
There is no best fund, only a better fit for what you need the money to do.
AHDFC Small Cap Fund
Might suit you if…
- a smoother ride matters more to you than the top return
BBANDHAN Small Cap Fund
Might suit you if…
- you want the stronger long-run growth and can sit through sharper falls
- you care about keeping costs low, which adds up over decades