LIKE '[charlist]%' syntax not working in MySQL (phpMyAdmin)

MySQL : Case insensitive: SELECT * FROM Students WHERE StudentName RLIKE '^[npy]' ; Case sensitive : SELECT * FROM Students WHERE StudentName CAST(RLIKE as BINARY) '^[npy]' ;

There is an even shorter way to write your query:

SELECT * FROM Students WHERE StudentName REGEXP '^[npy]'

And if you're concerned about being case sensitive:

SELECT * FROM Students WHERE StudentName REGEXP BINARY '^[npy]'

In MySQL, a REGEXP pattern match succeeds anywhere in the value, which differs from LIKE where the pattern must match the entire value.

The following link will give you a more complete answer:

MySQL Pattern Matching