Thousands of people risk and check their luck every day, but very few manage to stand out from the crowd and learn to win. These are the traders who have hit volatility as an opportunity, setbacks as a comeback and knowledge as wealth. Their names, too, can be heard in Dalal Street and elsewhere, not only due to their returns but also due to the legacy they are leaving behind. The top traders in India are individuals who do not just live in the markets but control them with vision, strategy, and unwavering nature. If you came to learn or get inspired or are just curious about the minds that drive the markets, this list will be your window of entry into the exclusive world of India's trading titans.
Trader/Investor | Estimated Net Worth (2025) | Major Stocks Invested |
Radhakishan Damani | ₹1,44,452 | VST Industries, formerly India Cements, DMart (Avenue Supermarts) |
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala | ₹51,000 | Tata Motors, Lupin, Titan, Star Health |
Nithin Kamath | ₹22,526 | Zerodha (founder), Rainmatter (fintech startups), True Beacon |
Mukul Agarwal | ₹7,040 | BSE Ltd., Neuland Labs, Dishman Carbogen, Radico Khaitan, Kirloskar Ferrous, Bella Casa |
Ashish Dhawan | ₹3,764 | Glen Pharma, IDFC Bank, RPSG Ventures, Dish TV |
Nemish Shah | ₹2,950.9 | Lakshmi Machine Works, Asahi India Glass, Elgi Equipments, E.I.D. Parry, Bannari Sugars |
Ashish Kacholia | ₹2,832 | Beta Drugs, DU Digital Global, Texel Industries, Radiowalla, Stove Kraft |
Sunil Singhania | ₹2,525.7 | Sarda Energy, J Kumar Infraprojects, Technocraft, IIFL Securities |
Vijay Kedia | ₹1,500 | Atul Auto, Tejas Networks, Cera Sanitaryware |
Ramesh Damani | ₹298 | Goldiam, Panama Petrochem, Protean eGov, Vadivarhe Speciality |
Radhakishan Shivkishan Damani (July 12, 1955) is the retail king of India, founder and chairman of DMart (Avenue Supermarts) and a stock market wizard. He began as a broker, opening the first DMart store in Mumbai in 2002, taking it to over 375 locations by 2025. A follower of a disciplined value‑investing ideology, Damani has significant interests in firms such as VST Industries and has divested a huge stake in India Cements in mid‑2024. He has an estimated net worth of Rs 1.44 lakh crores. His low-profile lifestyle, modest wearing of white clothing, and how he became the best trader in India.
Rakesh was one of the most well-known investors known as "Big Bull of India" on the Indian stock market. He had secured the spot in the top 10 big bull of the indian stock market. He began to business in the 1980s, with an invested capital of 5,000 rupees, and within his lifetime, he used his money to invest in Tata Motors and Lupin and turned his wealth into thousands of crores. His portfolio reached more than 51,000 crores in 2025 and is known as the Warren Buffett of India. Other than investment, he has co-founded an airline called Akasa Air and has sat on corporate boards. Widely considered a man of his word, a patient, and one who can predict trends early, unfortunately passed on 14 August 2022, Jhunjhunwala is still one of the biggest names in Indian financial history.
Nithin Kamath is a leading entrepreneur and stock trader in the country, and you must recognise him as the founder of Zerodha, the largest stock-brokerage system of India. He began to trade when he was 17 and founded Zerodha, an investment company, in 2010, together with his brother Nikhil, in order to make investing simpler and cheaper. Nithin is a man who leads a simple life and does not want anything to be ambiguous. His move has been disruptive in the online trading industry because it adopted the flat-fee system in India. According to a report, his net worth is more than 22,526 crores as of 2025. He has also become part of such initiatives as Rainmatter, which backs startups in the field of fintech, and True Beacon, an entity involved in asset management.
Dr. Mukul Mahavir Agrawal (b. 1981) is a powerhouse on Dalal Street, known for his commanding ₹6,200–7,400 cr small- and mid-cap portfolio across 60+ stocks. Founder of Param Capital Group (est. 1993), he applies a “Five‑in‑Five” strategy—balancing long-term multibaggers, short-term trades, sector bets, micro-cap gems, and seasonal opportunities. In Q3 FY 24‑25, he added nine new names to his ~₹7,000 cr holdings, including stakes in Kirloskar Ferrous and Bella Casa. His largest positions include BSE Ltd., Neuland Labs, Dishman Carbogen, and Radico Khaitan. A TEDx speaker and mentor, he’s celebrated for deep research, tactical timing, and transforming small-cap volatility into multibagger success.
Ashish Dhawan (b. March 10, 1969) is a former private equity titan who co-founded ChrysCapital (now Chrysalis Capital) in 1999 after stints at Yale, Harvard, and Goldman Sachs. His focused 12-stock portfolio was valued around ₹3,206–3,383 cr (~$390–415 M), and his equity net worth hovered near ₹3,564 cr (~$435 M). He shifted to philanthropy in 2012 to transform the Indian education system through the establishment of Central Square Foundation, Convergence Foundation and Ashoka University. With a track record of fundamental inquiry, sustained conviction, and institution-building, Dhawan's turning towards social impact is the perfect example of foresight and legacy over money.
Nemish Shah, co‑founder and director of ENAM Holdings (est. 1984), is a revered veteran of Dalal Street recognised for his low‑profile yet highly disciplined value‑investing approach. By mid‑2024, his portfolio—heavily focused on industrials—was valued between ₹2,200–₹2,700 crore ($270–330 M), with key stakes in Lakshmi Machine Works (₹1,290 cr), Asahi India Glass (~₹582 cr), Elgi Equipments, E.I.D. Parry, and Bannari Amman Sugars. Known as India’s “quiet titan,” Shah emphasises high ROCE, strong management, and long‑term conviction, likening his style to Buffett’s.
The Big Whale of Dalal Street, Ashish Kacholia, is a grizzled veteran in the small‑ and mid-cap space who has an uncanny ability to unearth multibagger gems using inordinate calm and reams of research. His focused proprietary portfolio is valued at roughly ₹3,461 cr, with an estimated net worth of ₹2,832 cr. He was notorious for taking advantage of the March 2025 market dip, purchasing nine new stocks and raising investments in five names he had previously invested in. His major investments are Beta Drugs, DU Digital Global, Texel Industries, Radiowalla and Stove Kraft. The disciplined value, enthusiasm, sector dispersion, and long-horizon attitude of Kacholia have remained motivating within the trading society in India.
Sunil Singhania (b. 1970) is the founder of Abakkus Asset Management and former Global Head of Equities at Reliance Capital, where he managed ~$11 billion in assets. His diversified mid‑ and small‑cap portfolio (23 stocks) is worth approximately ₹2,525–3,100 crore ($300–375 million), with top holdings including Sarda Energy, J Kumar Infraprojects, Technocraft and IIFL Securities. He follows a disciplined “MEETS” investment framework—focusing on Management, Earnings, Events, Timing, and Structure. Known for high‑conviction, capital‑efficient bets (like zero‑debt water infra company Denta) and timely exits from multibaggers, Singhania blends value discipline with tactical agility, earning him a reputation as one of Dalal Street’s most respected top investors in India and a benchmark for wealth creators.
Vijay Kishanlal Kedia, often named India’s “Master of the Market,” began trading at 19 and moved to Mumbai after early setbacks. He’s famed for his SMILE investment philosophy—Small-cap, medium experience, Large aspiration, Extra-large potential—picking multibaggers like Atul Auto, Tejas Networks, and Cera Sanitaryware. His public portfolio stands at over ₹1,362–1,396 cr, while total net worth estimates reach ₹1,500–1,775 cr. In addition to investing, he also mentors and travels the world giving talks, along with being a source of resilience, turning volatility into long-term wealth, among a portfolio of top 10 investors in India.
The long-term pragmatic approach, coupled with the visionary approach founded on values, has been undertaken by Ramesh Damani, a senior investor and senior member of the BSE. The portfolio he released publicly contains four stocks: Goldiam, Panama Petrochem, Protean eGov and Vadivarhe Speciality, whose combined value is approximately 110 crores. His net worth was highest earlier in 2024 at an estimated 317 crores before cooling down to 298 crores. Damani is not only celebrated due to multibagger gains, out of which Goldiam surged 143 % in 2024, but also due to his market analysis and perseverance.
The best traders in India in 2025 did not become that on the first day, but they became them by discipline, strategy, and experience over the years. To the top investors in India, their experiences are worthy lessons.
1. Patience Pays Off: Legendary traders like Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and Radhakishan Damania stuck by their beliefs for years to years to demonstrate that wealth in the stock markets is made in the long term, not in a few trades.
2. Deep Research Matters: Top Traders in India, such as Vijay Kedia and Ashish Kacholia, have a reputation for only investing once they have analysed the fundamentals of the business and the strength of the administration.
3. Diversification with Focus: Although most successful traders will trade in various stocks, they tend to be single-minded or dwell on a sector or theme they have a lot of knowledge on. The best examples include the small-cap bets of Mukul Agrawal or the capital-efficient bets of Sunil Singhania.
4. Emotional Discipline: Markets are emotional, yet good traders will not panic and will be humble at a rally. What brings a champion and a gambler apart is their control over this feeling.
5. Adaptability: The market shifts- and so should the strategy. The best can change with time, whether it is value investing or tactical trading.
6. Vision Beyond Money: Nithin Kamath, Ashish Dhawan, and Nemish Shah demonstrate that education, fintech innovations, and philanthropy are part and parcel of real legacy.
7. Low-Profile, High-Impact: Most elite traders like being quiet rather than loud. They are performance-oriented, not theatrical.
The Indian trading environment is not only determined by figures and statistics but also by the visionaries who can read between the lines, remain strong when the markets are volatile and convert measured risks into lifetime affluence. These top traders in India have not only made themselves rich, but they have also instilled a whole generation with their mentally sane reasoning, mental and unshaken determination to expertise. These names will still shape, influence and be at the forefront of the financial future of India as markets change. Aspiring traders should be interested in gaining knowledge, discipline, and patience. The road is not simple, however, with reasonably constant research and also a long-term perspective, the marketplace rewards those who value it appropriately.
1. What's the difference between a trader and an investor?
A trader deals with a short-term time horizon for buying and selling (or short selling) for making quick profits, and an investor deals with a longer time horizon for holding assets that build wealth.
2. Is Rakesh Jhunjhunwala a trader or investor?
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala amassed his fortune by trading in a strategic manner. Most people know him as a long-term investor.
3. How did Radhakishan Damani make his money in stock market?
By making intelligent value investments and as founder of DMart, a very successful retail chain. DMart added a lot to his wealth.
4. What is Vijay Kedia's contribution to the trading space?
Vijay Kedia is known for identifying multibagger stocks early and holding them for long enough, effectively blending trading and investing.
5. Who is Ashish Kacholia and what is his investment strategy?
Ashish Kacholia is an investor with a very strong track record. He focuses primarily on picking high-growth mid-cap and small-cap stocks with strong fundamentals.
6. Are these traders SEBI registered?
A lot of these traders are public figures or investors rather than brokers or advisors, so they don’t have to be registered with SEBI at least unless clients pay them for financial advice.
7. What returns have the top traders delivered?
The returns range widely, but many of the top traders have delivered multi-fold returns on their investments with some multiplying wealth by 10x to 100x over decades.
8. How can I learn from the top traders of India?
There are several ways to track the stocks/portfolios of top traders, such as their public disclosure of investments, interviews and the financial news, or books and articles that study what they have done.
9. What qualities do the successful traders have in common?
They have discipline, risk management, research on the markets, patience, long-term thinking, and the ability to learn from their mistakes.
10. Can retail investors adopt the same approach as the top traders?
It will be truly impossible for retail investors to copy exactly what the top traders did but retail investors can implement some of the same ideas in terms of the mindset of doing research, patience and controlling risk to help build their wealth.
11. Do these traders operate individually or through firms?
Many operate through their private investment firms or portfolio management services (PMS).
12. Where can I track the portfolios of top Indian traders?
Websites like Trendlyne, Screener.in, Moneycontrol and ET Markets, track public holdings of top Indian investors and traders.
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