Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty started on a positive note on Wednesday tracking gains in index majors HDFC twins and SBI amid strong foreign fund inflow. The 30-share BSE index was trading 80.72 points or 0.15 per cent higher at 52,356.29 in initial deals. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty advanced 26.45 points or 0.17 per cent to 15,766.55. ONGC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rising around 2 per cent, followed by SBI, Sun Pharma, HDFC, Asian Paints, Dr Reddy's and Bajaj Finserv.

On the other hand, UltraTech Cement, Maruti, Bajaj Auto and ICICI Bank were among the laggards. In the previous session, Sensex slipped 52.94 points or 0.10 per cent to 52,275.57, and Nifty declined 11.55 points or 0.07 per cent to end at 15,740.10. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth 1,422.71 crore on Tuesday, as per provisional exchange data.