Richardson was the star of the show on Saturday night, snaring 4-16 from 3.2 overs to lead the Scorchers to a six-wicket win over the Melbourne Stars.
The result locked up top spot for the Scorchers, who are guaranteed two home finals, starting with the first-versus-second Qualifier on Tuesday at Optus Stadium.
Richardson missed 10 months of action last year after undergoing yet more surgery on his troublesome right shoulder.
The 29-year-old has been plagued by the issue since first dislocating it while fielding for Australia in an ODI match against Pakistan in 2019.
Multiple rounds of surgery and rehabs failed to fully fix the problem, and it got so bad he even dislocated the shoulder while giving a teammate a high-five in November 2024.
Richardson went under the knife again in January 2025, hoping the procedure would give his shoulder more stability and allow him to push for an Ashes call-up.
The decision paid off, with Richardson selected for the Boxing Day Test loss to England, in which he returned figures of 0-8 and 2-22.
At his peak, Richardson was able to nudge speeds of about 150km/h.
His repeat shoulder setbacks have taken a toll on his speeds, but he was able to hit the 140km/h mark again for the Scorchers on Saturday night in what marked an important step forward.
Richardson hopes his pace will continue to rise to the high 140s - but he's not going to push it too hard, too quickly.
"There's still a process to go through with this shoulder," Richardson said.
"I think early on, there was such an emphasis on making sure that it was stable, making sure that the strength was good and the range was good.
"But there's also another element of it that involves trying to create power quickly, and trying to train my shoulder to be able to create that power, and that also comes hand in hand with throwing as well.
"The throwing takes a long time, but getting up to speed again also does take time. To hit 140 again is a nice feeling."
Richardson said his return from surgery had taken slightly longer than he would have liked.
"If we said 12 months ago that I was in the position that I am now, we probably would take it, albeit not in the high 140s like I have been previously," he said.
"It's been tough ... the performances I've had haven't been up to my standard, and I've been a little bit disappointed with that.
"To see the ball actually swinging again was a real relief for me."
