Fund Pick: DSP ELSS Tax Saver, a lock-in that paid investors back

ELSS curbed churn, lifting long-term and SIP returns above category averages

Launched in January 2017, the DSP ELSS Tax Saver Fund featured in the top 30th percentile of the equity-linked savings scheme (ELSS) category in the Crisil Mutual Fund Ranking (CMFR) for four consecutive quarters through September 2025. The fund’s assets under management rose to ₹16,749 crore at end-September 2025 from ₹10,002 crore at end-September 2022. Rohit Singhania has managed the fund since July 2015. 

The scheme aims to deliver long-term capital appreciation by investing in equities and equity-related securities of largecap companies, while enabling investors to avail of deductions from total income as permitted under the Income-Tax Act, 1961. 

Trailing returns 

The fund outperformed its benchmark, the Nifty 500 TRI, over the one-, two-, three-, five-, seven-, and 10-year trailing periods. It also outperformed its peers — funds ranked in the ELSS category of CMFR in September 2025 — across the same time horizons. 

To put this in perspective, an investment of ₹10,000 in the fund on January 18, 2007 (the inception date), would have grown to ₹1.43 lakh by February 5, 2026, delivering an annualised return of 15 per cent. Over the same period, a similar investment in the category and the benchmark would have increased to ₹87,130 (12.03 per cent) and ₹85,023 (11.88 per cent), respectively. 

A systematic investment plan (SIP) is a disciplined method of investing in mutual funds, under which a fixed amount is invested at regular intervals. 

A monthly SIP of ₹10,000 in the fund over 10 years, totalling ₹12 lakh, would have grown to ₹28.66 lakh, translating into an annualised return of 16.79 per cent. In comparison, the same investment in the benchmark would have risen to ₹26.06 lakh (15 per cent) as of February 5, 2026. Overall, the fund outperformed the benchmark across the one-, three-, five-, seven-, and 10-year SIP periods.

 

Portfolio analysis 

Over the past three years, the fund has maintained a higher exposure to largecap stocks. On average, the allocation to largecap stocks stood at 65.12 per cent, while mid and smallcap allocations averaged 18.69 per cent and 13.5 per cent, respectively. In comparison, the category’s average exposure was 61.39 per cent to largecaps, followed by 17.72 per cent to midcaps and 16.16 per cent to smallcaps. The fund’s allocation to large and midcap stocks exceeded that of its peers.

 

The portfolio was diversified across 21 sectors. Financial services had the highest average allocation at 35.75 per cent, followed by information technology (9.47 per cent), healthcare (8.89 per cent), automotive (auto) and auto components (7.61 per cent), oil, gas and consumable fuels (6.7 per cent), and fast-moving consumer goods (3.8 per cent).

 

The fund’s overweight positions, relative to the category, in select midcap stocks and high-return sectors — such as auto and auto components (31.75 per cent returns), healthcare (24.60 per cent) and telecommunications (21.67 per cent) — contributed to its outperformance over the past three years.

 

During the period under review, the fund took exposure to 105 stocks and held 39 consistently. Key contributors to the portfolio included ICICI Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, State Bank of India, and Power Finance Corporation.